Abdul Hakim Mahmoud

Harvard University issued a statement on the seventh of January this year on the results of a scientific study conducted by, and published in the journal Nature about homogeneous gas structure in the form of a wave is the largest ever in our galaxy.

The structure consists of interconnected star incubators that are organized in a filamentous form, and are characterized by wavy strings that form stars, and reach trillions of miles above and below the galactic disk. Scientists called this new discovery, "Radcliffe Wave," the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies involved in the study.

According to the statement issued by Harvard University, scientists expect that this discovery will refute previous concepts about gas clouds in the Milky Way, which lasted for more than 150 years.

On the other hand, according to the statement issued by Harvard University, this discovery necessitated the updating of the map of the Milky Way, and the rethinking of modeling a 3D map of the galaxy.

Measuring gaseous clouds distances
According to the statement issued by Harvard University, the scientists originally hoped to measure the distances between gas clouds in the Milky Way accurately, and to map the distribution of large clouds of dust and gas in our galaxy.

Meanwhile, scientists have noticed something unexpected, as they have discovered a homogeneous gas structure in the form of a wave, which is the largest ever in our galaxy, and this huge gas structure discovered in the form of waves that extend the length of about nine thousand light years and the width of four hundred light years.

The discovered galaxy structure is relatively long and light, similar to the wavy thread, and contains a huge network of regions that form stars.

Three-dimensional image of the largest homogeneous gas structure in the form of Radcliffe (Harvard University)

Where the structure of the gas structure discovered from the regions close to the formation of stars and outer space regions with thick clouds of gas and dust, and contains about three million solar masses of gas, with one solar mass equal to the mass of our sun.

According to the statement contained in the Harvard University statement to Professor Joao Alves, professor of astral astrophysics at the University of Vienna and co-researcher, he said: We do not know what causes this shape, but it could be like a ripple, as if something massive landed in our galaxy, "adding" what We know that our sun interacts with this structure.

Professor Alves added, "What we have noticed is the largest coherent gas structure we know in the galaxy, that is not organized into a ring, but in massive, wavy strings.

3D map
According to the statement, the Harvard Scientists team used new data from the European Space Agency's Jaya spacecraft to create a three-dimensional map of interstellar material in the galaxy.

In the study, published in the journal Nature, researchers combined data collected by the Jaya spacecraft with other measurements to create a three-dimensional map of interstellar material in the Milky Way.

In this regard, Professor Alyssa Goodman, co-director of the institute's science program, said: "No astronomer has expected us to live alongside a huge array of wave-like gas that is the local arm of the Milky Way." Goldman added, "The existence of the wave forces us to rethink our understanding of the structure of the Milky Way in 3D."