* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Thursday, July 3, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Neil Young Plays Rare Full-Band ‘Ambulance Blues’ With The Chrome Hearts – Yahoo

    Neil Young Stuns Fans with Rare Full-Band Performance of ‘Ambulance Blues’ Alongside The Chrome Hearts

    BTS Announce Their Big Return and Yes, They Already Have Some Major Plans in the Works – Yahoo

    BTS Announce Their Big Return and Yes, They Already Have Some Major Plans in the Works – Yahoo

    Nantucket Dance Festival opens July 8 – The Inquirer and Mirror

    Nantucket Dance Festival Launches with Thrilling Performances Beginning July 8

    A Secret Society, Ritualistic Killings, and a Century-Old Curse Netflix and YRF Entertainment’s ‘Mandala Murders’ Premieres July 25 – About Netflix

    A Secret Society, Ritualistic Killings, and a Century-Old Curse: Dive into the Chilling World of ‘Mandala Murders’ Premiering July 25

    Susquehanna Raises Penn Entertainment Inc. (PENN) Price Target. – Yahoo Finance

    Susquehanna Raises Price Target for Penn Entertainment Inc. (PENN)

    George Lopez is coming to Spokane – KXLY.com

    George Lopez is coming to Spokane – KXLY.com

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Inspira Technologies Secures Landmark $22.5M Deal: Major Revenue Breakthrough After FDA Clearance – Stock Titan

    Inspira Technologies Secures Landmark $22.5M Deal: Major Revenue Breakthrough After FDA Clearance – Stock Titan

    Meiwu Technology Company Limited and Shenzhen Zhinuo – GlobeNewswire

    Meiwu Technology Company Limited and Shenzhen Zhinuo – GlobeNewswire

    Owls inspire new revolutionary noise reduction technology – KTEN

    Owls inspire new revolutionary noise reduction technology – KTEN

    New center coming to Mizzou will focus on energy research and technology – Columbia Missourian

    Mizzou Launches Innovative New Center Dedicated to Energy Research and Technology

    Mirrors in space and underwater curtains: can technology buy us enough time to save the Arctic ice caps? – The Guardian

    Can Technology Like Space Mirrors and Underwater Curtains Buy Us Time to Save the Arctic Ice Caps?

    Naples restaurant owner prepares for hurricane season with new flood technology – Fox4Now.com

    Naples restaurant owner prepares for hurricane season with new flood technology – Fox4Now.com

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Neil Young Plays Rare Full-Band ‘Ambulance Blues’ With The Chrome Hearts – Yahoo

    Neil Young Stuns Fans with Rare Full-Band Performance of ‘Ambulance Blues’ Alongside The Chrome Hearts

    BTS Announce Their Big Return and Yes, They Already Have Some Major Plans in the Works – Yahoo

    BTS Announce Their Big Return and Yes, They Already Have Some Major Plans in the Works – Yahoo

    Nantucket Dance Festival opens July 8 – The Inquirer and Mirror

    Nantucket Dance Festival Launches with Thrilling Performances Beginning July 8

    A Secret Society, Ritualistic Killings, and a Century-Old Curse Netflix and YRF Entertainment’s ‘Mandala Murders’ Premieres July 25 – About Netflix

    A Secret Society, Ritualistic Killings, and a Century-Old Curse: Dive into the Chilling World of ‘Mandala Murders’ Premiering July 25

    Susquehanna Raises Penn Entertainment Inc. (PENN) Price Target. – Yahoo Finance

    Susquehanna Raises Price Target for Penn Entertainment Inc. (PENN)

    George Lopez is coming to Spokane – KXLY.com

    George Lopez is coming to Spokane – KXLY.com

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Inspira Technologies Secures Landmark $22.5M Deal: Major Revenue Breakthrough After FDA Clearance – Stock Titan

    Inspira Technologies Secures Landmark $22.5M Deal: Major Revenue Breakthrough After FDA Clearance – Stock Titan

    Meiwu Technology Company Limited and Shenzhen Zhinuo – GlobeNewswire

    Meiwu Technology Company Limited and Shenzhen Zhinuo – GlobeNewswire

    Owls inspire new revolutionary noise reduction technology – KTEN

    Owls inspire new revolutionary noise reduction technology – KTEN

    New center coming to Mizzou will focus on energy research and technology – Columbia Missourian

    Mizzou Launches Innovative New Center Dedicated to Energy Research and Technology

    Mirrors in space and underwater curtains: can technology buy us enough time to save the Arctic ice caps? – The Guardian

    Can Technology Like Space Mirrors and Underwater Curtains Buy Us Time to Save the Arctic Ice Caps?

    Naples restaurant owner prepares for hurricane season with new flood technology – Fox4Now.com

    Naples restaurant owner prepares for hurricane season with new flood technology – Fox4Now.com

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

Chemical cartography reveals the Milky Way’s spiral arms

July 20, 2023
in Science
Chemical cartography reveals the Milky Way’s spiral arms
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Chemical cartography reveals the Milky Way's spiral arms

Top: Two dimensional density diagram of the X-Y spatial positions of the hot OBAF star sample in LAMOST. For reference, the solar position is denoted as an orange star. The approximate location of the spiral arms in the Galaxy from Reid et al. (2014) are shown as thick black lines and their extend is marked by thick dashed lines. The color coding represents the number density of stars in log(N). Bottom: Two dimensional density diagram of the R-Z spatial positions of our full sample. The color coding represents the number density of stars in log(N). Credit: arXiv (2022). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2207.04542

Keith Hawkins, assistant professor of astronomy at The University of Texas at Austin, has used chemical cartography—also known as chemical mapping—to identify regions of the Milky Way’s spiral arms that have previously gone undetected. His research, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, demonstrates the value of this pioneering technique in understanding the shape, structure, and evolution of our home Galaxy.

Chemical maps of the Galaxy show how the elements of the periodic table are distributed throughout the Milky Way. They enable astronomers to identify the location of celestial objects based on their chemical composition rather than the light they emit. Though the idea of chemical cartography has been around for a while, astronomers have only recently been able to gain significant results from the technique. That’s thanks to increasingly powerful telescopes coming online.

“Much like the early explorers, who created better and better maps of our world, we are now creating better and better maps of the Milky Way,” says Hawkins. “Those maps are revealing things we thought to be true, but still need to check.”

We’ve known since the 1950s that the Milky Way is a spiral galaxy. However, its precise form, structure, and even the number of its arms has been a matter of ongoing investigation. That’s because we live inside of our home Galaxy and are unable to travel far enough to see it from an outsider’s perspective. “It’s like being in a big city,” explains Hawkins. “You can look around at the buildings and you can see what street you’re on, but it’s hard to know what the whole city looks like unless you’re in a plane flying above it.”

Our limited view of the Milky Way hasn’t prevented astronomers from creating well-informed models of it; or artists from drawing beautiful illustrations of it. “But,” says Hawkins, “I wanted to find out how accurate those models and illustrations actually are. And to see if chemical cartography could reveal a clearer view of the Milky Way’s spiral arms.”

Mapping the Milky Way

One traditional way to map the Milky Way is by identifying concentrations of young stars. As the Milky Way rotates, dust and gas in its spiral arms compress, prompting the birth of new stars. So, where there is an abundance of young stars, it’s predicted that there is also an arm.

Astronomers can locate young stars by detecting the light they emit. But sometimes clouds of dust can obscure stars, making it difficult for even the best telescopes to observe their light. As a result, some regions of the Milky Way’s arms have yet to be discovered.

Chemical cartography helps astronomers fill in the missing pieces.

It does so by relying on an astronomical concept called “metallicity.” Metallicity refers to the ratio of metals to hydrogen present on a star’s surface. In astronomy, any element on the periodic table that isn’t hydrogen or helium is called a “metal.” Young stars possess more metals than older stars, and therefore have a higher metallicity. This is because they formed later in the history of our universe, when more metals existed.

After the Big Bang, the only elements in existence were hydrogen, helium, and scant traces of a few metals. In their cores, the first generation of stars fused hydrogen and helium into more and more complex metals (that is, heavier and heavier elements on the periodic table), until they finally died or exploded. But out of chaos comes life. These explosions ejected metals into their surroundings, where they were used as building blocks for the next generation of stars.

As the cycle of stellar birth and destruction repeats, each subsequent generation of stars is enriched with more complex metals than the one before it, giving it a higher and higher metallicity. In theory, the Milky Way’s spiral arms, which contain an abundance of young stars, should have a higher metallicity than the regions between them.

Comparing maps

To create his map, Hawkins identified the distribution of metallicity in the Milky Way. He focused on the area around our sun for which this data exists—a view of up to 32,600 light years. Areas with an abundance of metal-rich objects were expected to line up with spiral arms and those with a scarcity of metal-rich objects to line up with the spaces in between the arms.

When he compared his own map to others of the same area of the Milky Way, the spiral arms lined up with one another. What’s more, because Hawkins’ map identifies the spiral arms based on metallicity rather than the light emitted by young stars, new regions showed up that had previously gone uncharted.

“A big takeaway,” says Hawkins, “is that the spiral arms are indeed richer in metals. This illustrates the value of chemical cartography in identifying the Milky Way’s structure and formation. It has the potential to fully transform our view of the Galaxy.”

Gaia space telescope revolutionizes study of our galaxy

As our telescopes become more powerful, so too does the promise of chemical cartography.

For his research, Hawkins analyzed data from the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fibre Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) and Gaia space telescope. New data from Gaia (Data Release 3) was particularly insightful. That’s because Gaia offers the most precise and comprehensive survey of the Milky Way to date, including of its chemical composition.

Since it launched in 2013, Gaia has monitored around two billion objects. Astronomers are now able to expand their research from thousands of objects to billions, and for a much larger area of the Galaxy.

“The sheer volume of data available from Gaia allows us to do chemical cartography at a galactic scale now,” says Hawkins. “Data on both the positions for billions of stars and their chemical makeup wasn’t available until recently.”

So far, Gaia has provided chemical data for the largest area of the Milky Way to date. However, this still only accounts for about one percent of the Galaxy. As Gaia continues to survey the heavens, and as new telescopes come online, astronomers can increasingly use chemical cartography to understand fundamental properties of our home Galaxy. These lessons can, in turn, be applied to other galaxies and the universe as a whole. As Hawkins explains, “It’s a completely new era.”

More information:
Keith Hawkins, Chemical Cartography with LAMOST and Gaia Reveal Azimuthal and Spiral Structure in the Galactic Disk, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2023). DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stad1244. on arXiv: DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2207.04542

Citation:
Chemical cartography reveals the Milky Way’s spiral arms (2023, July 19)
retrieved 20 July 2023
from https://phys.org/news/2023-07-chemical-cartography-reveals-milky-spiral.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Phys.org – https://phys.org/news/2023-07-chemical-cartography-reveals-milky-spiral.html

Tags: cartographyChemicalscience
Previous Post

Winery experiences affected by more than what is in your glass

Next Post

Croatia targets latest climate-change threat: mosquitoes

Multiple hunting displays in wild broadclub cuttlefish – How – 2025 – Ecology – ESA Journals

Mind-Blowing Hunting Tactics Uncovered in Wild Broadclub Cuttlefish

July 3, 2025
The Catholic Church believes in science. That good Christians must be anti-science is a myth. – National Catholic Reporter

How the Catholic Church Embraces Science: Debunking the Myth That Faith and Facts Clash

July 3, 2025
Making Europe a global leader in life sciences – European Commission

Unlocking Europe’s Potential: How to Become a Global Leader in Life Sciences

July 3, 2025
Solenn Heussaff is the cover star of a local lifestyle magazine – GMA Network

Solenn Heussaff is the cover star of a local lifestyle magazine – GMA Network

July 3, 2025
NWSL to take June break for ’26 men’s World Cup – ESPN

NWSL to Pause Season in June Ahead of 2026 Men’s World Cup Excitement

July 3, 2025
Russia’s economy just flashed warning signs about manufacturing and employment – Business Insider

Russia’s Economy Sends Alarming Signals in Manufacturing and Employment

July 3, 2025
Neil Young Plays Rare Full-Band ‘Ambulance Blues’ With The Chrome Hearts – Yahoo

Neil Young Stuns Fans with Rare Full-Band Performance of ‘Ambulance Blues’ Alongside The Chrome Hearts

July 3, 2025
Registered nurse explains reasoning for health care workers strike against WellSpan Health – WGAL

Registered nurse explains reasoning for health care workers strike against WellSpan Health – WGAL

July 3, 2025
Judge blocks Trump asylum ban at southern border, says he exceeded authority – NBC News

Judge blocks Trump asylum ban at southern border, says he exceeded authority – NBC News

July 3, 2025

Stellantis Revives SRT: High-Performance Street and Racing Division Makes a Triumphant Return

July 3, 2025

Categories

Archives

July 2025
MTWTFSS
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031 
« Jun    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (703)
  • Economy (729)
  • Entertainment (21,617)
  • General (15,690)
  • Health (9,768)
  • Lifestyle (733)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (729)
  • Politics (736)
  • Science (15,947)
  • Sports (21,226)
  • Technology (15,712)
  • World (709)

Recent News

Multiple hunting displays in wild broadclub cuttlefish – How – 2025 – Ecology – ESA Journals

Mind-Blowing Hunting Tactics Uncovered in Wild Broadclub Cuttlefish

July 3, 2025
The Catholic Church believes in science. That good Christians must be anti-science is a myth. – National Catholic Reporter

How the Catholic Church Embraces Science: Debunking the Myth That Faith and Facts Clash

July 3, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version