China's FAST telescope reveals unprecedented details of Milky Way

The vast space between billions of stars in the Milky Way is not empty, but filled with thin interstellar medium.

Using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), or the "China Sky Eye," Chinese scientists revealed the unprecedented details of the Galactic interstellar medium.

Led by Han Jinlin, a scientist with the National Astronomical Observatories of China, the research team published their new findings Saturday in the latest journal Science China: Physics, Mechanics and Astronomy.

According to Han, during the sensitive survey for pulsars using the FAST, the spectral line data of the interstellar medium was recorded simultaneously. Though the fine calibration is still underway, the results available are already the most sensitive for detecting neutral hydrogen gas clouds to date, showing unprecedented details about the distribution of neutral hydrogen gas.

Compared to all previous surveys, the improvement in angular resolution and sensitivity in the survey conducted by Han's team is "impressive," said John M. Dickey, emeritus professor with the University of Tasmania in Australia and the University of Minnesota in the United States, adding that the results are worthy of international attention.

The research team has also revealed the luminous regions ionized by bright stars and the diffuse ionized gas of unknown origin.

"Large single-dish telescopes such as the FAST are the best to probe the diffuse ionized gas," said Dana S. Balser, a scientist with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in the United States.

For scientists worldwide, the Galactic magnetic fields which permeate the interstellar medium are extremely difficult to measure. The research team relied on the sensitivity of FAST to measure the Faraday effect of a large number of faint pulsars and revealed the Galactic magnetic fields in a much wider range in the Galactic disk and halo.

"Without FAST, the interstellar magnetic field in such a wide region would never be detected," Han said.

Characterized by high sensitivity, high spectral resolution, and high spatial resolution, the spectral line data is an extremely valuable resource for studying the structure of the Milky Way Galaxy and the interstellar ecological cycle, he added.

"The sensitive FAST observations can reveal unprecedented details of the Milky Way," said Jing Yipeng, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

"The databases of neutral hydrogen and ionized hydrogen published by these papers are valuable resources for astronomers over the world," Jing added.

Located in a naturally deep and round karst depression in Southwest China's Guizhou province, FAST started formal operation in January 2020 and officially opened to the world on March 31, 2021. It is believed to be the world's most sensitive radio telescope.

Source: Xinhua News Agency

Related Links
Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio telescope (FAST)
Stellar Chemistry, The Universe And All Within It

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

The tilt in our stars: the shape of the Milky Way's halo of stars is realized
Boston MA (SPX) Nov 21, 2022
A new study has revealed the true shape of the diffuse cloud of stars surrounding the disk of our galaxy. For decades, astronomers have thought that this cloud of stars - called the stellar halo - was largely spherical, like a beach ball. Now a new model based on modern observations shows the stellar halo is oblong and tilted, much like a football that has just been kicked. The findings - published this month The Astronomical Journal - offer insights into a host of astrophysical subject areas. The ... read more