‘Tail’ of Rogue Star Cluster Helps Astronomers Solve Century-Old Cosmic Conundrum

Amaze Lab

Right now there is a rogue star cluster zooming through our galaxy, called Terzan 5. This star cluster was first observed in 1968, but now it’s solving a critical puzzle astronomers and physicists have toiled over for more than a century.

Transcript

00:00Right now, there's a rogue star cluster zooming through our galaxy called Terzan 5.

00:08The star cluster was first observed in 1968, but now it's solving a critical puzzle astronomers

00:14and physicists have toiled over for more than a century.

00:17The issue is that cosmic rays don't always act like we anticipate, and the ones coming

00:20from Terzan 5 are no different, with its gamma rays coming from an area around 30 light-years

00:25from where they should have.

00:27Now researchers say it's likely because of the cluster's movement through space and the

00:30fact that it's essentially a cosmic-scale comet.

00:34They say that because Terzan 5 is traveling at hundreds of thousands of miles per hour,

00:37it has amassed a serious magnetic field.

00:40The cosmic rays it releases then travel along this magnetic field behind it, effectively

00:44gliding down a magnetic tail.

00:46They initially begin traveling away from us since the cluster is currently moving towards

00:50the sun, but because of magnetic fluctuations, they don't continue on that path.

00:55Some of them turn and point in our direction, but of course that takes around 30 years since

00:59they are traveling at near light speed.

01:02And because we can track Terzan 5, astronomers have now been able to calculate those very

01:06magnetic fluctuations.

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