We Exist Inside a Giant Space Bubble, And Scientists Have Finally Mapped It

We Exist Inside a Giant Space Bubble, And Scientists Have Finally Mapped It

a year ago
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https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qjkqbq/we-exist-inside-a-giant-space-bubble-and-scientists-have-finally-mapped-it

You may not realize it in your day-to-day life, but we are all enveloped by a giant “superbubble” that was blown into space by the explosive deaths of a dozen-odd stars. Known as the Local Bubble, this structure extends for about 1,000 light years around the solar system, and is one of countless similar bubbles in our galaxy that are produced by the fallout of supernovas.

Cosmic superbubbles have remained fairly mysterious for decades, but recent astronomical advances have finally exposed key details about their evolution and structure. Just within the past few years, researchers have mapped the geometry of the Local Bubble in three dimensions and demonstrated that its surface is an active site of star birth, because it captures gas and dust as it expands into space.