【Watch Power】

Near the center of the Milky Wayare enormous filaments of radio energy that sometimes look like bones,Watch Power and one in particular has astronomers playing orthopaedists. 

If the new picture at the top of this story reminds you of an X-ray, well, that's because it is. Scientists used a spacetelescope to examine a conspicuous fracture along the bone's 230 light-yearlength. The images from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, coupled with data from the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa and the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array, have revealed what likely caused it to crack. 

The assailant, seen right at the point of the break, could be a fast-spinning neutron star, known as a pulsar. Scientists think that, as the object whizzed through the galaxy at breakneck speed, it slammed through the bone and just kept on going. The collision apparently distorted the bone's magnetic field and warped its radio signal.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

SEE ALSO: Scientists discover a rebellious star family defying the cosmic order NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory helped scientists study The Snake, a filament of radio energy near the Milky Way's galactic center. Credit: NASA / CXC / J. Vaughan illustration

The discovery not only offers a diagnosis for how the filament fractured but highlights that a single star can rattle the galaxy, even long after its own death. The findingsdescribed by NASA this week were published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Researchers have named the filament G359-dot-something-something-something, but friends and fun astronomers just call it "The Snake." Why, you might ask? Because G359.13142-0.20005 just doesn't roll off the tongue. 

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

The glowing streak threads through the congested downtown of the Milky Way. Dozens of other such filamentsappear in radio waves around the galactic center, lit up by particles spiraling through parallel magnetic fields. The Snake is one of the longest and brightest of its kind.

But why these structures exist — and what makes some longer and more luminous than others — remains a mystery. 

---

Related Stories

---

• He found a Milky Way black hole 50 years ago, and finally got to see it
• A star factory at the heart of our galaxy is mysterious and important
• The best telescopes for gazing at stars and solar eclipses in 2024
• Webb telescope just found the holy grail in a famous supernova
• A star-like thing is flying 1 million mph in space. What the heck?

An annotated version of a composite image of The Snake shows a close-up view of the fracture and the object that likely created it. Credit: NASA / CXC / Northwestern University / F. Yusef-Zadeh et al / NRF / SARAO / MeerKat / SAO / N. Wolk

As for the assailant, it's trying to make a quick getaway. Neutron stars form when massive stars explode into supernovas, leaving behind a crushed stellar core, perhaps just 10 miles wide. But a pulsarbeams radiation as it revolves like a lighthouse beacon. 

The new images also suggest extra X-rays may be coming from the area around the pulsar. Particles like electrons and positrons — tiny pieces of matter and antimatter — that sped up during the crash may have caused them. 

After a supernova, remnant neutron stars often get an intense kickback from the blast. Scientists estimate this pulsar could be flying at a dizzying 1 million to 2 million mph. 

Topics NASA

• Tech
• Games
• Life
• Social Good
• Shopping
• Entertainment
• Digital Culture
• Science

• The Sound and the “Furious”
• 'Top Boy' and the pressure to provide
• Taylor Swift's 'Nothing New' is the latest TikTok trend
• Apple Watch Ultra 2 preorder details: How to buy it now
• 44 GPU Fortnite Benchmark: The Best Graphics Cards for Playing Battle Royale
• Remembering the Concorde
• Apple's iPhone 15 arrives in pink (kinda)
• Working at “The Onion”: Adventures in Tastelessness
• New MIT report reveals energy costs of AI tools like ChatGPT
• 'The Other Black Girl' review: Part satire, part horror, all fun

• Women are now in charge of NASA's science missions
• Beastie Boys singer designs 'vegan' sneaker for Planned Parenthood
• Jeremy Clarkson launches social media platform for car addicts
• Facebook just brought back its 'View As Public' button
• Matthew McConaughey gives students rides to make sure they get home alright, alright, alright
• Father's search for autistic son's cup completed thanks to the kindness of the internet
• Hey people, it's time to vote for wildlife photographer of the year
• Boosted Rev is a powerful e
• Fed up women of America speak out as Alabama looks to criminalize abortion
• 'Rage 2' review: A thrilling, tightly paced Mad Max

• Waitin’ on the Student Debt Jubilee
• Chaucer Lived and Wrote in Squalor, a New Book Says
• Apple iOS 17 release date announcement: When you can download it
• Apple launches iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max with titanium body and new cameras
• 'Mario Kart World' Nintendo Direct: 3 takeaways
• Remembering the Concorde
• Archeologists Have Found a Casket with Cervantes’s Initials
• Graceland Too: Saying Goodbye to An Eccentric’s Elvis Shrine
• Apple iPhone 17 Pro leaks highlight major new design change
• How to Carry a Political Grudge

• Things AMD Needs to Fix
• Dennis Cooper, Paris by Matteo Pericoli
• Apple iPhone 15 launch event forgot to bring the fun
• Paintings That Crunch
• Best Samsung Frame deal: Free Music Frame with Frame Pro art TV purchase
• Shocked monkey in a very awkward position wins comedy wildlife photo prize
• Apple Watch's new Double Tap is a reimagining of an accessibility feature
• Small Wonder by Sadie Stein
• DDR4 Memory at 4000 MT/s, Does It Make a Difference?
• Shocked monkey in a very awkward position wins comedy wildlife photo prize