Scientists from Australia have created the largest map of cosmic magnetic fields in the history of astronomy. This project reveals the secrets of the invisible forces that directly shape galaxies, influence the movement of cosmic matter, and determine the overall evolution of the universe over billions of years.
A new map called SPICE-RACS depicts magnetic fields throughout the universe in blue and red. It was created using the ASKAP radio telescope. Source: CSIRO
To study this phenomenon in detail, experts from the Australian national science agency CSIRO, in collaboration with the SKAO Observatory, deployed massive radio telescopes. Their joint efforts resulted in a map that is five times larger than all previous maps combined.
According to the project’s lead researcher, Dr. Alec Thomson, scientists have for the first time been able to examine the finest details of the matter between neighboring stars while simultaneously studying a vast number of distant galaxies. The authors hope that the new data will help the scientific community better understand the processes by which energy propagates throughout the universe.
How does the SPICE-RACS project work?
The new map has been named SPICE-RACS. It uses blue and red to visualize the distribution of magnetic fields and indicate their relative strength.
An annotated version of the map showing some key locations. Source: Alec Thomson
Light served as the basis for the research. As light waves pass through a magnetic medium, they twist in specific directions and become polarized. Dr. Alfredo Carpinet notes that the effect of polarized light has interesting practical applications, such as in 3D movie theaters, where special lenses in the glasses allow only certain types of light to pass through to each eye, creating the illusion of depth.
To get the full picture, a team of astronomers analyzed rotation data from nearly four million galaxies detected during the Rapid ASKAP Continuum Surveys (RACS). The raw data was then reprocessed using the ASKAP radio telescope.
New technologies uncover long-hidden secrets
It was previously technically impossible to obtain a magnetic image on such a massive scale. However, thanks to the ASKAP telescope’s wide field of view, its unique antenna rotation system, and its capacity to process vast amounts of data, astronomers have been able to open a new chapter in their research.
360-degree view of magnetic fields. Source: CSIRO
SKAO’s chief scientist, Professor McClure-Griffiths, points out that over the past twenty years, scientists have had to work with limited datasets that did not even fully cover the southern sky. Now, researchers finally have a clearer picture of magnetic structures and can answer fundamental questions in astrophysics.
The latest findings make it possible to study the influence of magnetic fields on the interaction between our Milky Way and the neighboring Magellanic Clouds at the galactic level. Furthermore, scientists hope to determine exactly when magnetic fields first formed in the universe. In the past, answers to these questions were considered out of reach, but thanks to new discoveries, this limitation has finally been overcome.
We previously reported on how the source of the strongest magnetic fields in the universe was discovered.
According to iflscience.com