In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have uncovered a new and mysterious source of incredibly hot gas in the Milky Way’s outer regions. Using cutting-edge telescopes like XMM-Newton and eROSITA, researchers found that the gas, located in the galaxy’s halo, reaches scorching temperatures of up to 10 million degrees—far higher than previously anticipated.
This finding suggests the presence of previously undetected processes happening in the galaxy’s halo. The hot gas could be linked to past events such as star formation bursts or energetic outflows from the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. These powerful outflows might have created massive bubbles in the surrounding gas, now showing signs of shockwaves and chemical imbalances.
The discovery opens new avenues to understanding the so-called ‘missing matter’ of the universe—large quantities of invisible matter that may be hidden within these energetic halos. This revelation is reshaping our understanding of how galaxies evolve and the cosmic processes that shape our universe.
