Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD
Get unlimited access to 10,000+ magazines, newspapers and Premium stories for just
O&A WITH A FILAMENT FINDER
BBC Sky at Night Magazine
|July 2025
Researchers looking at the centre of our Galaxy have discovered a first: long, slim filaments made not of dust but gas, and forged by powerful shockwaves
-
What did your research involve?
It concerns star formation. How do small dust grains and diffuse gas form into a main-sequence star like the Sun? There are many methods we can use to study star-forming regions, but in this work we looked at spectral data, or 'molecular fingerprints', from the Milky Way's central molecular zone (CMZ).
What and where is the central molecular zone?
The CMZ is a region in our Galactic centre where large molecules are gathered at high densities. It is close to Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way, and exhibits many extreme physical processes that make it a very interesting region for studying star formation. For example, there are high-energy phenomena in this region, as well as the remnants of past supernovae.
What did you find in the CMZ?
This story is from the July 2025 edition of BBC Sky at Night Magazine.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM BBC Sky at Night Magazine
BBC Sky at Night Magazine
MOONWATCH
January's top lunar feature to observe
2 mins
January 2026
BBC Sky at Night Magazine
Speed up your processing workflow
How to use Photoshop's Actions tool to drastically cut your processing time
3 mins
January 2026
BBC Sky at Night Magazine
Chasing Canada's polar lights
With solar maximum peaking and a new Moon promising dark skies, Jamie Carter travels to Churchill, Manitoba to hunt the Northern Lights - and dodge polar bears – in Canada's far north
7 mins
January 2026
BBC Sky at Night Magazine
Beyond Pluto: The search for the hidden planets
Could one – or even two - undiscovered planets lurk at the edges of our Solar System? Nicky Jenner explores how close we are to finding the elusive 'Planet 9'
6 mins
January 2026
BBC Sky at Night Magazine
Jupiter moon events
Jupiter is a magnificent planet to observe.
2 mins
January 2026
BBC Sky at Night Magazine
What samples from space have taught us
Alastair Gunn explains what scientists have learnt in the 20 years since the first unmanned mission brought materials back from alien worlds
3 mins
January 2026
BBC Sky at Night Magazine
The Milky Way as you've never seen it before
This is the largest low-frequency radio colour image of our Galaxy ever assembled
1 min
January 2026
BBC Sky at Night Magazine
Merger of ‘impossibly' massive black holes explained
Scientists discover how enormous, fast-spinning black holes can exist after all
1 mins
January 2026
BBC Sky at Night Magazine
Lunar occultation of the Pleiades
BEST TIME TO SEE: 27 January from 20:30 UT
1 min
January 2026
BBC Sky at Night Magazine
The Universe's expansion may be slowing down
New study suggests current theories of dark energy could be wrong
1 mins
January 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size