ALMA Unveils 650-Light-Year Mosaic of the Milky Way’s Core, Revealing a Dense Filament Web

Overview

• The mosaic spans roughly 650 light-years around the Galactic Center at unmatched resolution using ALMA’s 66 antennas in Chile.
• ESO reports a complex network of cosmic-gas filaments now clearly resolved across the Central Molecular Zone.
• Dozens of molecules were detected, from silicon monoxide to organics such as methanol, acetone and ethanol.
• Researchers aim to test whether the usual filament-fed pathway to star formation holds under the CMZ’s extreme conditions.
• Multiple studies are being prepared for submission to Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society to connect CMZ physics with galaxy evolution.