Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, astronomers produced the largest-ever radio mosaic of the Milky Way's Central Molecular Zone, mapping cold molecular gas and filamentary structure across more than 650 light‑years. The most detailed view of the Galactic center to date could inform models of star formation and early‑universe analogues.
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Briefing
ALMA's mosaic resolves cold molecular gas and filamentary structure across >650 light‑years of the Central Molecular Zone, supplying direct empirical constraints for star‑formation, gas‑dynamics and Galactic‑center feedback models. See the Milky Way center survey context here: [source:e51d84d5-0210-43cd-9863-1f7ddf5b9d4f]
The result showcases gains in interferometric imaging and array coordination that will scale with upcoming capabilities — including optical frequency‑comb synchronization for sharper radio arrays and proposals to extend baselines to the lunar far side to boost resolution and sensitivity [source:bd437621-19b5-40c6-b3dd-028890047af8] [source:3785700b-6e1e-42ca-bb2c-2a1d4c4a3eb9].
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Largest ALMA image ever shows cold gas in our galactic center • astronomy.com
Milky Way's Hidden Chemistry Unveiled in Largest Image • miragenews.com
Space.com
• Robert Lea