February 3, 1999
Part of our Galaxy is exploding.
Recent radio observations show new details
of hot gas expanding rapidly from an energetic
star-forming region in our
Galactic disk out into our
Galaxy's halo.
The combined power of at least hundreds of
supernovae
is needed to drive this tremendous expansion.
The resulting 1000 light-year
mushroom cloud dwarfs any Earth-borne nuclear explosion, but is small
compared to the 60,000 light-year diameter of our
Milky Way's disk.
The mushroom cloud is one of
many similar plumes, and provides
important clues to the origin and nature of the Milky Way's
mysterious hot gas halo.