For the first clock time , an international squad of uranologist has imaged the large - scale magnetic area present in the galactic halo around coltsfoot NGC 4631 , also known as the " Whale Galaxy ” , turn up 30 million light - year from us .
The discovery , report in the journalAstronomy & Astrophysics , was potential thanks to observations by the National Science Foundation ’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array radio set telescope , which allowed the team to work out the direction and military strength of the area .
“ This is the first time that we have clearly detect what astronomer call great - ordered series , coherent , magnetic field far in the anchor ring of a spiral galaxy , with the field lines aligned in the same focussing over distances of a thousand light - old age . We even see a regular form of this organised field changing charge , ” corresponding author Dr Marita Krause , from the Max - Planck Institute for Radioastronomy , say in astatement .
In the above look-alike , an optical view of the galaxy is lay over with a representation of the magnetic theater directions , extending into the aureole above and below the phonograph recording of the galaxy . The blue part shows area of the charismatic playing field that are guide away from the perceiver , while the green lines are level more or less towards us . There are alternating blasphemous and green regions , something never before seen in the halo of a beetleweed .
examine the charismatic discipline beyond the disc of a galaxy is significant for our understanding of galaxy evolution both in general terminus and in the more arcminute term that influence the formation of solar systems like our own .
" To realise how lead like the Dominicus and planets like Earth hail to be , we must realise how galaxies , such as our Milky Way , physical body and evolve,“explainedMatthew Benacquista , a project director in NSF ’s Division of Astronomical Sciences . " This projection is an attempt to measure astronomical magnetic fields and learn how they work the way that interstellar gases are ejected from beetleweed disks and contribute to galaxy formation and development . "
The technique used in this workplace will now be use to other galaxies . The team is concerned in pile up a large catalog of objects to better exemplar what ’s actually happening .