Largest image of its kind shows hidden chemistry at the heart of the Milky Way!
ALMA has obtained a unique view of the cold gas — the raw material from which stars form — within the so-called Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of our galaxy.
https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2603/
📷 ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Longmore et al. Background: ESO/D. Minniti et al.
The observations reveal the CMZ like never before, from gas structures dozens of light-years across all the way down to small gas clouds around individual stars. They will help probe the lives of stars in the most extreme region of the Milky Way, next to the supermassive black hole at its centre.
The region featured spans more than 650 light-years, making this the largest ALMA image ever. In the sky, it is as long as three full Moons side-by-side
ESO
Willem Tredgett