According to research conducted by a University of Toronto astronomer, the solar system is encircled by a magnetic tunnel visible in radio waves, or to say that our solar system might be engulfed by a vast Magnetic Tunnel.
Jennifer West, a research associate at the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics, presents evidence that two bright objects observed on opposing parts of the sky that were previously thought to be independent are linked and formed of rope-like filaments. The link creates what appears to be a tunnel around our solar system.
West’s study findings have been published in the Astrophysical Journal.
“We would see this tunnel-like structure in just about every direction we looked – that is, assuming we had eyes that could sense radio light,” West adds.
According to West, astronomers have known about these two features, dubbed “the North Polar Spur” and “the Fan Region,” for decades. However, most scientific explanations have focused on each of them separately. West and her colleagues, on the other hand, think they are the first to link them as a group.
Description of Magnetic Tunnel
The structures, made up of charged particles and a magnetic field, are formed like long ropes and are around 350 light-years distant from us, with a length of about 1,000 light-years.
“It’s the equivalent of going two trillion times between Toronto and Vancouver,” West adds.
Since she first saw a chart of the radio sky 15 years ago, West has been thinking about these characteristics on and off. She recently created a computer model that estimated how the radio sky would seem from Earth when the form and placement of the long ropes were changed.
West was able to “construct” the structure around us using the model, and she was able to see what the sky would look like through our telescopes. This new viewpoint was essential in her matching the model to the facts.
“One of our co-authors, Tom Landecker, informed me a few years ago about a work from 1965 – from the early years of radio astronomy,” West explains. “The authors [Mathewson and Milne] suggested that these polarised radio signals may emerge from our view of the Nearby Arm of the galaxy, from inside it, based on the poor data available at the time.”
“That publication sparked this concept in me, and I was able to connect my model to the considerably improved data that our telescopes now provide.”
As an example, West utilizes the Earth’s map. Unless you redraw the map from a different angle, the North pole is on top, and the equator is in the middle. The same may be said about our galaxy’s map.
“Most scientists look at a map with the known universe North pole up and the cosmic center in the middle,” explains West. “Remaking that map with a new location in the middle was a big part of what sparked this concept.”
Bryan Gaensler, a professor at the Dunlap Institute and one of the publication’s authors, said, “This is incredibly brilliant work.” “When Jennifer initially presented this to me, I thought it was just too ‘out there to be true. But she was eventually able to persuade me. Now I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of the astronomical community responds.”
West, a specialist on galaxies’ magnetism and the interstellar medium, is excited about the potential discoveries that this study may lead to.
She explains, “Magnetic fields don’t exist in isolation.” “They all need to interact with one another.” As a result, the next step is to learn more about how this local magnetic field interacts with both the larger-scale galactic magnetic field and the smaller-scale magnetic fields of our sun and Earth.”
Meanwhile, West agrees that the new “tunnel” model provides further information to scientists and represents a groundbreaking notion for the general public.
“Incredibly, these things are everywhere when we look up into the night sky,” says the author.
Latest News:- The hazardous climate change that challenges global welfare
