Scientists of the Ruhr University and the Institute of radio astronomy Society of the max Planck in Germany have discovered unknown structure of the magnetic field penetrating the galaxy NGC 4217, similar to the milky Way. This was reported in an article published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
The astronomers analyzed data from 35 observations of galaxies obtained in the framework of the project Continuum Halos in Nearby Galaxies. NGC 4217, which lies at a distance of about 67 million light years from Earth, has a magnetic field X-shaped. It extends far beyond the disk, more than 20 thousand light-years. In addition, the scientists found helical structure and two large bubble coming from areas where often stars are born and occur in a supernova.
The researchers also discovered a giant loop structure in the magnetic field throughout the galaxy, which was not observed previously. According to scientists, they also arise due to active star formation.
In 2019, scientists Stratospheric Observatory infrared astronomy (SOFIA) have shown that magnetic fields play a leading role in the formation of spiral-shaped galaxies, including the milky Way.
