A galactic chimney in the Perseus arm of the Milky Way.
Galaxies are surrounded by large haloes of hot gas which must be replenished as the gas cools. This has led to the concept of galactic 'chimneys'--cavities in the interstellar medium, created by multiple supernova explosions, that can act as conduits for the efficient transport of hot gas from a galaxy's disk to its halo. Here we present a high-resolution map of atomic hydrogen in the Perseus arm of our galaxy, which shows clear evidence for the existence of such a chimney. This chimney appears to have been formed by the energetic winds from a cluster of young massive stars, and may currently have reached the stage of bowing out into the halo.
Normandeau
M
M
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Taylor
A R
AR
Dewdney
P E
PE
D055580:Astronomical Phenomena; D001256:Astronomy; D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment; D006859:Hydrogen; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013057:Spectrum Analysis
D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D006859:Hydrogen