Surprising discovery: Giant tunnels connecting the solar system to the stars discovered

Scientists who collected thousands of measurements with the eROSITA X-ray telescope, launched in 2019, revealed that the Sun is located at the center of a hot, low-density bubble 300 light-years wide.

This region is part of a long-known structure called the Local Hot Bubble (LHB). Researchers have clearly identified two giant tunnels emerging from this bubble: one extending towards the constellation Centaurus (Centaurus) and the other towards the constellation Canis Major (The Great Dog).

The Local Hot Bubble is a hot, low-density cavity formed by supernova explosions that occurred 10 to 20 million years ago.

These supernovas cleared a large area by pushing gas and dust away while dispersing the plasma accumulated inside them.

Such structures are seen as part of a galactic feedback mechanism shaped by the birth and death of stars.

Scientists have long predicted the existence of this region thanks to low-energy "soft X-rays."

Since it was known that these rays were absorbed before they could travel very long distances in space, being able to detect them meant that there was no matter in the environment that could be absorbed.

Measurements made from eROSITA's location approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth enabled the detection of very weak traces of radiation, unaffected by the Earth's atmosphere.

These data were combined with data from the German ROSAT telescope, launched in 1990, to produce the clearest X-ray sky map to date.

But these extremely precise measurements revealed another surprise: the northern part of the Milky Way was significantly colder than the southern part.

This suggests that the Local Hot Bubble is expanding outward from the galactic disk, expanding northward, the direction of least resistance.

Dr. Michael Freyberg, one of the co-authors of the study, stated that the interstellar tunnel, which extends specifically in the direction of Centaurus, is progressing by cutting through the cold interstellar matter in the surrounding area.

In addition to this structure, the previously known tunnel in the direction of Canis Major was also measured more precisely in this study.

Scientists think this second tunnel runs between the Local Hot Bubble and the Gum Nebula, 1,500 light-years from Earth.

The research suggests that these tunnels may be part of a vast network of hot plasma connecting star birth regions.

It is also thought that the Sun was not born in this hot region, but rather entered this bubble by chance a few million years ago during its movement within the galaxy.

Dr. Gabriele Ponti said, "We know that the Sun entered the Local Hot Bubble very recently, considering its age. The fact that it appears to be at the center today is purely coincidental," emphasizing that the Solar System occupies a coincidental position within the galactic structures.