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Scientists are still unsure about how the
Milky Way's magnetic field became
significantly stronger than those of other
galaxies.
Image: iStockphoto

Monash University-led research has revealed the magnetic field at the Milky Way's core is at least 10 times stronger compared to the rest of the galaxy.

The discovery was made by a team of astrophysicists from Monash University, Max-Planck-Institute for Nuclear Physics, the University of Adelaide, and the University of Arizona in the United States.

Lead-author Dr Roland Crocker said the findings would change the way the scientists measure galaxies.

"The work is significant because the strength of the field at the galactic centre is an important factor in many astrophysical calculations," Dr Crocker said.

Calculations about the Milky Way's magnetic field have been in dispute for more than two decades.

"The break-through implies that something like 10 per cent of the galaxy's magnetic energy is concentrated in less than 0.1 per cent of its volume."

Dr Crocker said the findings also raise new questions, such as how and why the Milky Way's magnetic field is so intense.

"If the magnetic field is stronger than we thought, we don't yet know how it came to be so strong, when fields in the early universe are, by comparison, weak," Dr Crocker said.

The research team used data collected by radio telescopes in Australia and around the world plus a satellite-based gamma-ray telescope.

The new insight into powerful magnetic field at the Milky Way's core will help scientists better understand the source of the Milky Way's radio and gamma-rays.

The Milky Way is the galaxy in which the Solar System is located and is one of the billions of galaxies in the observable universe. Its name refers to the pale band of light formed by the galactic plane as seen from Earth.

Dr Roland Crocker worked on the research while based at Monash University. He is now based at the Max-Planck-Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany.