The magnetic field around the galaxy is 80,000 light-years wide

The telescope image reveals the magnetic currents above and below NGC 4631, a galaxy 25 million light-years from Earth.

Blue stream of magnetic fields surround galaxy NGC 4631. (Image: Space).

Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, a telescope operated by the National Radio Astronomical Observatory (NRAO), photographed NGC 4631 or the Whale galaxy, Space reported on December 28. The image clearly shows the flow of magnetic fields radiating above and below the pink galaxy disk. Green streams are magnetic fields away from the Earth. In contrast, the blue stream is a magnetic field facing the Earth.

The team of scientists is studying how the galaxy of NGC 4631 works . They want to find out whether such a magnetic field is common in galaxies, or what their shape is. The new study also gives astronomers more insight into how galaxies develop a magnetic field, whether the motion of a liquid in a galaxy, also known as the dynamo effect , produces a magnetic field.

"We are somewhat like a fortune teller watching an elephant because every time we look at the galaxy in a different way, we come to a different conclusion about its nature , " said co-author Richard Henriksen, astrophysicist. at Queen's University, said.

"However, the dynamo theory, the classical hypothesis of celestial bodies generating magnetic fields, predicted the images of NGC 4631 quite well. Our dynamo model creates torsional magnetic fields in the galaxy's halo." " , Henriksen added.

Galaxy NGC 4631 is about 25 million light-years from Earth, located in the constellation Canes (Venetian Canes) and has a diameter of 80,000 light-years. In the new image, above it is a small elliptical galaxy called NGC 4627.