Slashdot Mirror


Massive Gamma Ray Bubbles Discovered In Milky Way

An anonymous reader writes "Two huge, mysterious gamma ray-emitting bubbles have been discovered at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, US astronomers said... The structure spans more than half of the visible sky, from the constellation Virgo to the constellation Grus, and it may be millions of years old."

8 of 115 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Systematic Error by clang_jangle · · Score: 4, Funny

    No, I found another source where they managed to enhance the image of one of them and it really is a bubble.

    --
    Caveat Utilitor
  2. A proposed mechanism for these bubbles exists by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Dark Taco Bell.

    This is also responsible for the increasing expansion of the universe.

  3. Black hole formation? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'm sure I'm missing something, but I thought gamma ray bursts could occur as a result of black hole formation, which I thought was quite prevalent in the center of the galaxy. Wouldn't this be (or why isn't this) the top suspect?

  4. Re:Systematic Error by ElectricTurtle · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Obviously the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics needs to hear from you immediately. Clearly you have a super-human insight that surpasses teams of expert astrophysicists. I'll bet their doctorates aren't worth the paper they're printed on. What unmitigated gall, releasing these findings without considering simple limitations of algorithmical analysis. Thank you internet for saving the world once again.

    --
    I support the Slashcott and will not be reading or commenting from 2/10/14 to 2/17/14. Beta is steaming pile of dog shit
  5. No need to worry yet by rcharbon · · Score: 4, Funny

    Let me know when you start to see Puppeteers.

  6. Original Article by Richard.Tao · · Score: 5, Interesting

    So far I am finding the original article an interesting read. (it's in the original article NYT article)
    It states that the bubble may be related to an ejection of the super massive black hole in the past 10 million years or so. You know those other galaxies that have giant lazer beams shooting out of them? Well, ours could have been like that at some point 10 million years ago. Kind makes sense that those SM black holes only occasionally and intermittently shoot stuff off, seems like just emissions like that would be hard to sustain for long periods of time. (and holy mother of Bohr, it was hard to not fall into sexual innuendo there)
    Also, as far as it being a data anomaly (which I thought first due to it's symmetry and the fact that we apparently never knew about it), it apparently correlates with "hard-spectrum excess known as the WMAP haze (and) the edges of bubble also line up with features in the ROSAT X-ray maps at 1.5 - 2 KeV."

  7. Re:Mod points by gstoddart · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Gamma Ray Bubbles" is actually Sarah Palin's Stripper name.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  8. Re:Systematic Error by ElectricTurtle · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I do do not suggest that degrees are magical things that make one automatically right. I do imply that it's unlikely that some random person from the internet has outmaneuvered a team of experts with decades of combined experience in five minutes on a post on /. Is it possible? Yes. Is it likely? No. Is it so absurd as to be to some degree insulting? Yeah, that's the point.

    --
    I support the Slashcott and will not be reading or commenting from 2/10/14 to 2/17/14. Beta is steaming pile of dog shit