Το μεγαλύτερο ραδιοτηλεσκόπιο στον κόσμο «διαπερνά» την καρδιά του Γαλαξία μας – «Είναι μόνο η αρχή»

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Εικόνα: ) As part of ACES (the ALMA CMZ Exploration Survey), the team was able to determine the chemical composition of this molecular gas, detecting dozens of different molecules. These ranged from complex organic molecules like methanol and ethanol to simple molecules like silicon monoxide. "The CMZ hosts some of the most massive stars known in our galaxy, many of which live fast and die young, ending their lives in powerful supernova explosions, and even hypernovas," ACES leader and John Moores University researcher Steve Longmore explained in the statement. "By studying how stars are born in the CMZ, we can also gain a clearer picture of how galaxies grew and evolved. "We believe the region shares many features with galaxies in the early universe, where stars were forming in chaotic, extreme environments." Get the Space.com Newsletter Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more! Your Email Address Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. A view of the Milky Way's heart with a boxout showing the enlarged portion that was recently imaged. The central molecular zone and its location in the Milky Way. (Image credit: ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Longmore et al. Stars in inset: ESO/D. Minniti et al. Milky Way: ESO/S. Guisard) The CMZ is around the size of three full moons in the night sky, meaning even ALMA, composed of 66 radio antennas across the Atacama Desert regions of northern Chile, couldn't image it all at once. Representing the largest area that ALMA has ever observed, the resultant image was basically stitched together using smaller, individual observations. "We anticipated a high level of detail when designing the survey, but we were genuinely surprised by the complexity and richness revealed in the final mosaic," ALMA astronomer Katharina Immer said in the statement. The ACES research was published on Wednesday (Feb. 25) in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Robert Lea Robert Lea Senior Writer Robert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space, Newsweek and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy from the U.K.’s Open University. Follow him on Twitter @sciencef1rst. Read more An illustration showing a black circle in the center and three swirling light balls moving counterclockwise. There are swirls of matter in the back, in the form of a disk around the black hole. 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Scientists discover 53 powerful quasars shooting out jets up to 50 times wider than our Milky Way M87* and its cosmic blowtorch-like jet as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope Astronomers watch 1st black hole ever imaged launch a 3,000‑light‑year‑long cosmic jet from its glowing 'shadow' The magnetic fields of the galactic disk and dusty and molecular outflow of the merging galaxy Arp220 observed by ALMA. 1.1 million mph cosmic winds race through 'magnetic superhighway' in colliding galaxies An illustration of a pulsar lurking in Galactic Center close to the supermassive black hole Sgr A* The Milky Way may be hiding a big secret at its heart: an extremely magnetic dead star (Main) An illustration of the supermassive black hole M87* (Inset) the NASA/JAXA mission XRISM NASA X-ray spacecraft stares into the 'eye of the storm' swirling around supermassive black holes Latest in Galaxies The magnetic fields of the galactic disk and dusty and molecular outflow of the merging galaxy Arp220 observed by ALMA. 1.1 million mph cosmic winds race through 'magnetic superhighway' in colliding galaxies The Helix Nebula as seen by the JWST with its comet-like knots, fierce stellar winds, and layers of gas shed off by a dying star interacting with its surrounding environment. 'Eye of God' nebula looks like a cosmic lava lamp in new James Webb Space Telescope image The 18 galaxies from the ALPINE-CRISTAL-JWST survey James Webb Space Telescope discovers young galaxies age rapidly: 'It's like seeing 2-year-old children act like teenagers' An image of blue and gold and white stars in deep space, with a boxout in the top right corner zooming in on a cluster of golden stars Unusual 'ingredients' helped stars form in a galaxy near the Milky Way The James Webb Space Telescope deep field image showing some of the earliest and most distant galaxies ever seen. The universe should be packed with tiny galaxies — so where are they? James Webb Space Telescope image showing a broad area of space with many small galaxies, four of which are highlighted in pull-out boxes. The four highlighted galaxies are very small, appearing as points of light. Black areas of the overall image indicate where the telescope did not collect data – a vertical section in the center and a square in the lower left corner. Strange cosmic objects spotted by the James Webb Space Telescope may be baby 'platypus' galaxies — or something entirely new Latest in News A cream colored spaceship with some red on it is built in brick form and displayed on a starry surface on top of a black display stand. Looking to save credits on a Lego Star Wars deal? Get one of the lowest prices we've ever seen on the 654-piece Tantive IV Starship set colorful streaks of light far below a T-shaped spacecraft in the foreground Spacecraft, stars and city lights | Space photo of the day Feb. 25, 2026 U.S. President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber at the Capitol on Feb. 24, 2026 in Washington, D.C. 'The Space Force is my baby': Trump lauds military space in State of the Union but skips Artemis 2 moon crew namedrop The central molecular zone and its location in the Milky Way World's largest radio telescope array pierces heart of our Milky Way: 'This is just the beginning' the tip of a rocky mountain rises up out of a snowy expanse Antarctica's 'gravity hole' reveals the evolution of Earth's deep interior A starry section of space. One star is enlarged in a boxout that shows a purple disk-shape resembling a moth's winds. NASA space telescope gets 1st clear X-ray image of sun-like star blowing a bubble MORE FROM SPACE... An image of a black and white rocket launching into a blue sky 1 Watch Rocket Lab launch hypersonic scramjet vehicle for the US military today 2 Spacecraft, stars and city lights | Space photo of the day Feb. 25, 2026 3 Catch Jupiter glowing under the waxing moon on Feb. 26 4 World's largest radio telescope array pierces heart of our Milky Way: 'This is just the beginning' 5 Antarctica's 'gravity hole' reveals the evolution of Earth's deep interior Space is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. Add as a preferred source on Google About Us Contact Future's experts Terms and conditions Privacy policy Cookies policy Accessibility Statement Advertise with us Web notifications Careers © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036. Πρωτότυπο κείμενο (Image credit: ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Longmore et al. Background: ESO/D. Minniti et al.)
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Η χρήση του μεγαλύτερου δικτύου ραδιοτηλεσκοπίων στον κόσμο, του ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array), επέτρεψε στους αστρονόμους να διεισδύσουν στην καρδιά του Γαλαξία μας με πρωτοφανή λεπτομέρεια. Η έρευνα αυτή επικεντρώθηκε στην Κεντρική Μοριακή Ζώνη (CMZ), μια περιοχή πλάτους 650 ετών φωτός που περιβάλλει την κεντρική υπερμεγέθη μαύρη τρύπα, τον Τοξότη Α* (Sgr A*).

Τα κύρια ευρήματα της έρευνας

Η μελέτη, η οποία δημοσιεύθηκε στις 25 Φεβρουαρίου 2026, αποτελεί μέρος της επισκόπησης ACES (ALMA CMZ Exploration Survey) και αποκάλυψε τα εξής:

Πρόκειται για την πιο εκτενή εικόνα που έχει καταγράψει ποτέ το ALMA, δημιουργημένη από τη συρραφή πολλών επιμέρους παρατηρήσεων, καθώς η περιοχή CMZ έχει μέγεθος όσο τρία γεμάτα φεγγάρια στον νυχτερινό ουρανό.

  • Χημική Σύνθεση: Οι επιστήμονες ανίχνευσαν δεκάδες διαφορετικά μόρια, από απλές ενώσεις όπως το μονοξείδιο του πυριτίου έως πολύπλοκα οργανικά μόρια όπως η μεθανόλη και η αιθανόλη.
  • Ακραίο Περιβάλλον: Η CMZ φιλοξενεί μερικά από τα πιο μαζικά άστρα του γαλαξία μας, τα οποία ζουν γρήγορα και πεθαίνουν σε ισχυρές εκρήξεις σουπερνόβα ή ακόμα και υπερνόβα.
  • Κοσμολογική Σημασία: Η περιοχή παρουσιάζει χαρακτηριστικά παρόμοια με εκείνα των γαλαξιών στο πρώιμο σύμπαν, προσφέροντας μια ματιά στο πώς εξελίχθηκαν οι γαλαξίες σε χαοτικά και ακραία περιβάλλοντα.

Τεχνικές προδιαγραφές του ALMA

Το ALMA δεν είναι ένα ενιαίο τηλεσκόπιο, αλλά ένα δίκτυο που αποτελείται από 66 ραδιοκεραίες τοποθετημένες στην έρημο Ατακάμα της βόρειας Χιλής. Η διάταξη αυτή επιτρέπει την παρατήρηση του ψυχρού αερίου και της σκόνης που είναι αόρατα στο ορατό φως, αποκαλύπτοντας τις δομές που καταρρέουν για να σχηματίσουν νέα άστρα.

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