Scientists Find “Extragalactic Structure” In A Distant Universe Zone

Photo Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

The “zone of avoidance” (ZOA) is said to be one of the toughest places to observe in the universe, and the uncharted region of space is obscured by our Milky Way Galaxy. However, a team of researchers has managed to discover an “extragalactic structure” in the same zone. The study has been submitted to the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics but is yet to be peer-reviewed.

The zone obscures around 10-20 percent of space because of the dust and stars surrounding the supermassive black hole that lies at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. While there have been successful attempts to pierce through our galaxy's bulge before, the region is still relatively unknown compared to other regions of space.

What Is This “Extragalactic Structure”?

The team of astronomers believes the “extragalactic structure” is a sizeable galaxy cluster.

"For many years, the ZoA had a lack of information, but now with new studies we could cover a little region of the sky, and in the near future, a bigger region with data," said Daniela Galdeano of the National University of San Juan, during an interview with Vice.

To look beyond the stars in our galaxy, the team leveraged the European Southern Observatory’s VVV survey. They examined the infrared light that travels past our galaxy’s obstructive bulge, as there’s no way for visible light to pass.

After realizing that they were looking at a galaxy cluster, the researchers used the Gemini South telescope and measure the redshifts from the five galaxies belonging to the same cluster. This measurement gave them an idea about the velocities and distances of the galaxies.

Are There More Galaxies In The Cluster?

According to the team’s calculations, the galaxy cluster could have around 58 galaxies; however, more observations will be required to confirm their existence.

"It looks quite big, but it is difficult to tell yet how massive," Dante Minniti, study co-author, told Vice during an interview. "We need more spectroscopic redshifts to estimate the mass of this cluster."

That said, the latest find is still exciting in a region that continues to be uncharted territory due to the Milky Way galaxy’s bulge.

Unprecedented Energy Burst In Space

In another exciting discovery, astronomers detected the brightest energy burst ever recorded in space. Reportedly, the ultra-bright gamma-ray burst (GRB), massive energy bursts felt post major galactic events including star deaths, was observed using NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory.