Researchers led by the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics have pooled some 41,000 measurements from 26 separate projects to produce the highest resolution map of the Milky Way's magnetic field ever produced (Photo: Bala Sivakumar)
A team of scientists led by the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA) has produced the highest resolution map of the Milky Way's magnetic field ever produced. The map pools over 41,000 measurements from across 26 projects. "The resulting database is equivalent to peppering the entire sky with sources separated by an angular distance of two full moons," said Dr. Tracy Clarke of the Naval Research Laboratory.
Each of the maps 41,330 individual data points represents a measurement of Faraday depth, a value of magnetic field strength along a particular line of sight. Polarized light from radio sources in space is observed for the Faraday effect, which describes the rotation of the plane of polarization. The degree and direction of rotation are determined, and from this the magnetic field strength in a given direction is establishe
