scholarly journals The Distance to the Galactic Center: RO

1989 ◽  
Vol 136 ◽  
pp. 37-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark J. Reid
Keyword(s):  
Milky Way ◽  
Galactic Center ◽  
Best Value ◽  
Great Progress ◽  
The Galaxy

Great progress has been made toward measuring the size of the Milky Way. There are now several methods that employ independent calibrations to estimate the distance to the center of the Galaxy, Ro, and these methods have been applied to many types of astronomical objects. Ro estimates generally have been decreasing over the last 15 years. At this time a reasonable “best value” estimate for Ro is 7.7 ± 0.7 kpc.

scholarly journals A Statistical Estimation of the Occurrence of Extraterrestrial Intelligence in the Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Xiang Cai ◽  
Jonathan H. Jiang ◽  
Kristen A. Fahy ◽  
Yuk L. Yung
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Estimation ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Galactic Center ◽  
Model Simulation ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Extraterrestrial Intelligence ◽  
Milky Way Galaxy ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Peak Location ◽  
Intelligent Life

In the field of astrobiology, the precise location, prevalence, and age of potential extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) have not been explicitly explored. Here, we address these inquiries using an empirical galactic simulation model to analyze the spatial–temporal variations and the prevalence of potential ETI within the Galaxy. This model estimates the occurrence of ETI, providing guidance on where to look for intelligent life in the Search for ETI (SETI) with a set of criteria, including well-established astrophysical properties of the Milky Way. Further, typically overlooked factors such as the process of abiogenesis, different evolutionary timescales, and potential self-annihilation are incorporated to explore the growth propensity of ETI. We examine three major parameters: (1) the likelihood rate of abiogenesis (λA); (2) evolutionary timescales (Tevo); and (3) probability of self-annihilation of complex life (Pann). We found Pann to be the most influential parameter determining the quantity and age of galactic intelligent life. Our model simulation also identified a peak location for ETI at an annular region approximately 4 kpc from the galactic center around 8 billion years (Gyrs), with complex life decreasing temporally and spatially from the peak point, asserting a high likelihood of intelligent life in the galactic inner disk. The simulated age distributions also suggest that most of the intelligent life in our galaxy are young, thus making observation or detection difficult.

scholarly journals LIGHT SUPERCONDUCTING STRINGS IN THE GALAXY

2007 ◽  
Vol 16 (12b) ◽  
pp. 2399-2405 ◽  
Author(s):  
FRANCESC FERRER ◽  
TANMAY VACHASPATI
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Particle Physics ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Gamma Ray ◽  
Galactic Center ◽  
Line Emission ◽  
Galactic Magnetic Field ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Intense Source

Observations of the Milky Way by the SPI/INTEGRAL satellite have confirmed the presence of a strong 511 keV gamma ray line emission from the bulge, which requires an intense source of positrons in the galactic center. These observations are hard to account for by conventional astrophysical scenarios, whereas other proposals, such as light DM, face stringent constraints from the diffuse gamma ray background. Here we suggest that light superconducting strings could be the source of the observed 511 keV emission. The associated particle physics, at the ~ 1 TeV scale, is within the reach of planned accelerator experiments, while the distinguishing spatial distribution, proportional to the galactic magnetic field, could be mapped by SPI or by future, more sensitive satellite missions.

scholarly journals An Overview of the Globular Cluster System of the Galaxy

1988 ◽  
Vol 126 ◽  
pp. 37-48
Author(s):  
Robert Zinn
Keyword(s):  
Globular Cluster ◽  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Galactic Center ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Cluster System ◽  
Open Clusters ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Globular Cluster System ◽  
Harlow Shapley

Harlow Shapley (1918) used the positions of globular clusters in space to determine the dimensions of our Galaxy. His conclusion that the Sun does not lie near the center of the Galaxy is widely recognized as one of the most important astronomical discoveries of this century. Nearly as important, but much less publicized, was his realization that, unlike stars, open clusters, HII regions and planetary nebulae, globular clusters are not concentrated near the plane of the Milky Way. His data showed that the globular clusters are distributed over very large distances from the galactic plane and the galactic center. Ever since this discovery that the Galaxy has a vast halo containing globular clusters, it has been clear that these clusters are key objects for probing the evolution of the Galaxy. Later work, which showed that globular clusters are very old and, on average, very metal poor, underscored their importance. In the spirit of this research, which started with Shapley's, this review discusses the characteristics of the globular cluster system that have the most bearing on the evolution of the Galaxy.

scholarly journals 10.2. High proper motions in the vicinity of Sgr A∗: unambiguous evidence for a massive central black hole

1998 ◽  
Vol 184 ◽  
pp. 433-434
Author(s):  
A. M. Ghez ◽  
B. L. Klein ◽  
C. McCabe ◽  
M. Morris ◽  
E. E. Becklin
Keyword(s):  
Black Hole ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Galactic Center ◽  
Robust Method ◽  
Proper Motions ◽  
Central Black Hole ◽  
Milky Way Galaxy ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Sgr A

Although the notion that the Milky Way galaxy contains a supermassive central black hole has been around for more than two decades, it has been difficult to prove that one exists. The challenge is to assess the distribution of matter in the few central parsecs of the Galaxy. Assuming that gravity is the dominant force, the motion of the stars and gas in the vicinity of the putative black hole offers a robust method for accomplishing this task, by revealing the mass interior to the radius of the objects studied. Thus objects located closest to the Galactic Center provide the strongest constraints on the black hole hypothesis.

scholarly journals Galactic structure from trigonometric parallaxes of star-forming regions

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (S289) ◽  
pp. 188-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark J. Reid
Keyword(s):  
Interstellar Dust ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Galactic Center ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Fundamental Parameters ◽  
Star Forming Regions ◽  
Long Baseline ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Trigonometric Parallaxes ◽  
3D Information

AbstractRecently, astrometric accuracy approaching ~ 10 μas has become routinely possible with Very Long Baseline Interferometry. Since, unlike at optical wavelengths, interstellar dust is transparent at radio wavelengths, parallaxes and proper motions can now be measured for massive young stars (with maser emission) across the Galaxy, enabling direct measurements of the spiral structure of the Milky Way. Fitting the full 3D position and velocity vectors to a simple model of the Galaxy yields extremely accurate values for its fundamental parameters, including the distance to the Galactic Center, R0=8.38 ± 0.18 kpc, and circular rotation at the Solar Circle, Θ0 = 243 ± 7 km s−1. The rotation curve of the Milky Way, based for the first time on ‘gold standard’ distances and complete 3D information, appears to be very flat.

scholarly journals Feeding and feedback in nearby AGN – comparison with the Milky Way center

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (S303) ◽  
pp. 354-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Storchi-Bergmann
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Galactic Center ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Activity Cycle ◽  
Nuclear Region ◽  
Nuclear Activity ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Mass Outflow ◽  
Sgr A

AbstractI discuss feeding and feedback processes observed in the inner few hundred parsecs of nearby active galaxies using integral field spectroscopy at spatial resolutions of a few to tens of parsecs. Signatures of feedback include outflows from the nucleus with velocities ranging from 200 to 1000 km s−1, with mass outflow rates between 0.5 and a few M⊙ yr−1. Signatures of feeding include the observation of gas inflows along nuclear spirals and filaments, with velocities ranging from 50 to 100 km s−1 and mass flow rates from 0.1 to ∼1 M⊙ yr−1. These rates are 2–3 orders of magnitude larger than the mass accretion rate to the supermassive black hole (SMBH). These inflows can thus lead, during less than one activity cycle, to the accumulation of enough gas in the inner few hundred parsecs, to trigger the formation of new stars, leading to the growth of the galaxy bulge. Young to intermediate age stars have indeed been found in circumnuclear rings around a number of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). In particular, one of these rings, with radius of ≈ 100 pc is observed in the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068, and is associated to an off-centered molecular ring, very similar to that observed in the Milky Way (MW). On the basis of an evolutionary scenario in which gas falling into the nuclear region triggers star formation followed by the triggering of nuclear activity, we speculate that, in the case of the MW, molecular gas has already accumulated within the inner ≈ 100 pc to trigger the formation of new stars, as supported by the presence of blue stars close to the galactic center. A possible increase in the star-formation rate in the nuclear region will then be followed, probably tens of millions of years later, by the triggering of nuclear activity in Sgr A*.

scholarly journals Infall of HVC's and the Origin of HI Supershells

1991 ◽  
Vol 144 ◽  
pp. 89-91
Author(s):  
I.F. Mirabel
Keyword(s):  
Atomic Hydrogen ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Galactic Center ◽  
Structural Disturbance ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Very High

Surveys for atomic hydrogen at very high velocities (|V| ≥ 140 km s–1) in the galactic center and anticenter regions of the sky reveal a net inflow of gas toward the Milky Way. In the anticenter, the collisions of infalling clouds with galactic material trigger the most energetic structural disturbance in the Galaxy, the “anticenter supershell”.

scholarly journals Low-frequency measurements of synchrotron absorbing HII regions and modeling of observed synchrotron emissivity

2019 ◽  
Vol 621 ◽  
pp. A127 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. M. Polderman ◽  
M. Haverkorn ◽  
T. R. Jaffe ◽  
M. I. R. Alves
Keyword(s):  
Synchrotron Radiation ◽  
Magnetic Fields ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Galactic Center ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Hii Regions ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Absorption Measurements

Context. Cosmic rays (CRs) and magnetic fields are dynamically important components in the Galaxy, and their energy densities are comparable to that of the turbulent interstellar gas. The interaction of CRs and Galactic magnetic fields (GMF) produces synchrotron radiation clearly visible in the radio regime. Detailed measurements of synchrotron radiation averaged over the line-of-sight (LOS), so-called synchrotron emissivities, can be used as a tracer of the CR density and GMF strength. Aims. Our aim is to model the synchrotron emissivity in the Milky Way using a three-dimensional dataset instead of LOS-integrated intensity maps on the sky. Methods. Using absorbed HII regions, we measured the synchrotron emissivity over a part of the LOS through the Galaxy, changing from a two-dimensional to a three-dimensional view. Performing these measurements on a large scale is one of the new applications of the window opened by current low-frequency arrays. Using various simple axisymmetric emissivity models and a number of GMF-based emissivity models, we were able to simulate the synchrotron emissivities and compare them to the observed values in the catalog. Results. We present a catalog of low-frequency absorption measurements of HII regions, their distances and electron temperatures, compiled from literature. These data show that the axisymmetric emissivity models are not complex enough, but the GMF-based emissivity models deliver a reasonable fit. These models suggest that the fit can be improved by either an enhanced synchrotron emissivity in the outer reaches of the Milky Way or an emissivity drop near the Galactic center. Conclusions. Current GMF models plus a constant CR density model cannot explain low-frequency absorption measurements, but the fits improved with slight (ad hoc) adaptations. It is clear that more detailed models are needed, but the current results are very promising.

Structure and Kinematics of the Milky Way

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (S336) ◽  
pp. 148-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark J. Reid
Keyword(s):  
Rotation Curve ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Spiral Structure ◽  
Galactic Center ◽  
Rotation Speed ◽  
Information Modeling ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Proper Motions ◽  
Dimensional Phase Space ◽  
The Galaxy

AbstractMaser astrometry is now providing parallaxes with accuracies of ±10 micro-arcseconds, which corresponds to 10% accuracy at a distance of 10 kpc! The VLBA BeSSeL Survey and the Japanese VERA project have measured ≈200 parallaxes for masers associated with young, high-mass stars. Since these stars are found in spiral arms, we now are directly mapping the spiral structure of the Milky Way. Combining parallaxes, proper motions, and Doppler velocities, we have complete 6-dimensional phase-space information. Modeling these data yields the distance to the Galactic Center, the rotation speed of the Galaxy at the Sun, and the nature of the rotation curve.

scholarly journals The Galactic bulge: a review

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (S245) ◽  
pp. 323-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dante Minniti ◽  
Manuela Zoccali
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Central Region ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Galactic Center ◽  
Current Understanding ◽  
Ir Detectors ◽  
Individual Stars ◽  
Near Ir ◽  
Great Progress ◽  
Formation And Evolution

AbstractThe Milky Way is the only galaxy for which we can resolve individual stars at all evolutionary phases, from the Galactic center to the outskirt. The last decade, thanks to the advent of near IR detectors and 8 meter class telescopes, has seen a great progress in the understanding of the Milky Way central region: the bulge. Here we review the most recent results regarding the bulge structure, age, kinematics and chemical composition. These results have profound implications for the formation and evolution of the Milky Way and of galaxies in general. This paper provides a summary on our current understanding of the Milky Way bulge, intended mainly for workers on other fields.

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