Calgary researchers find massive diagonal magnetic twist within Sagittarius arm
Technology
Researchers from the University of Calgary just found a massive, diagonal magnetic twist in the Sagittarius arm of our galaxy, something nobody expected.
This challenges what scientists thought about how the Milky Way is structured, since most magnetic fields run in predictable patterns, not like this unusual zigzag.
Team's models reveal hidden wave-like shape
The team used radio telescope and tracked Faraday rotation (basically, how radio waves bend through space) to map out this twist.
Their 3-D models showed a wave-like shape that had been hidden until now.
This discovery gives us fresh clues about how invisible forces shape our galaxy and could change what we know about star formation and galactic stability.