When we first saw Milky Way Bubbles being talked about on the Internets, we immediately thought, Milky Way, the candy bar, came out with something new. Maybe they added some crisp to the chocolate, making it bubbly. But alas, that isn’t the case. However the true Milky Way Bubbles are even cooler.
Scientists have found two big bubbles of radiation coming out of the center of the Milky Way–in outer space, not in the candy bar–and they think it’s coming from a massive black hole. How massive? Each Milky Way Bubble spans 25,000 light-years and they are emitting gamma rays, which are the highest energy wavelengths of light.
There is nothing official on the Bubbles yet, but they make up a combined area of 50,000 light-years, which is nearly half of the entire Milky Way’s diameter.
The Astrophysical Journal will release a paper about the findings of the Milky Way Bubbles in an upcoming issue.