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Space

Monster supernovae may explain galaxy's mystery haze

21 October 2009

Âé¶¹´«Ã½. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

The mysterious WMAP haze

(Image: WMAP)

Supernovae such as G1.9+0.3, at the centre of the Milky Way could be responsible for the unexplained

Supernovae such as G1.9+0.3, at the centre of the Milky Way could be responsible for the unexplained “WMAP haze”

(Image: X-ray (NASA/CXC/NCSU/S.Reynolds et al.); Radio (NSF/NRAO/VLA/Cambridge/D.Green et al.); Infrared (2MASS/UMass/IPAC-Caltech/NASA/NSF/CfA/E.Bressert)

WHAT is causing a mysterious “haze” of radiation at the centre of the Milky Way? It may be a load of monster supernovae kicking out radiation which is then amplified by magnetic stellar winds and turbulence near the galaxy’s core.

In 2003, the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe found a patch of particularly energetic microwave radiation in the centre of our galaxy – dubbed…

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