New image of the Milky Way reveals how stars are born
CNN • • science
Key Points:
- Scientists have produced the most complete, high-resolution map of cold molecular gas at the center of the Milky Way using the ALMA telescope, providing new insights into the raw materials for star and planet formation.
- The map covers the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), a dense and turbulent region surrounding the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*, revealing the distribution and motion of molecules like hydrogen and carbon monoxide in 3D space.
- This survey, called ACES, uniquely balances wide-area coverage with high resolution, allowing detailed study of gas dynamics through Doppler shifts detected via spectroscopy, surpassing previous observations.
- The data includes over 70 molecular spectral lines, some linked to complex organic compounds that may be precursors to amino
