G359.1-0.2
 Image of the galactic center of the Milky way galaxy where G359.1-0.2 is located. Here we can see there are many long threads which are similar it appearance to G359.1-0.2 | |
| Object type | Astronomical radio source  |
|---|---|
| Other designations | G359.13142-0.20005, The snake, Galactic center snake |
Observation data (Epoch J2000) | |
| Constellation | Sagittarius |
| 14h 44m 19.244s | |
| Declination | -29h 46m 52.96s |
| Distance | 8 kpc |
Notable features | One of the longest radio filaments |
G359.1-0.2 (short for G359.13142-0.20005), or more commonly known as the Galactic Center Snake or more simply known as The Snake, is a radio filament located in the Galactic center of the Milky Way galaxy. It is one of the brightest radio filaments discovered and is also one of the longest at ~70 pc in length, however it is thing being just 0.4 parsecs in width.[1]
It may have formed from a star trail intersecting a shock from a supernova remnant (SN) which preferentially travelled up the trail accelerating electrons producing radiation.[2]
Morphology
[edit]The snake is one of the longest radio filaments discovered so far but it is very thin, being about 0.4 parsecs wide. Running along it are two kinks, a major northern kink and a southern minor kink. The major kink is likely produced by a fasting moving object punching into The Snake at a speed of around ~500 to 1000 kilometers per second.[1]
It is linearly polarized over much of the filaments extent. The intrinsic magnetic field is also well aligned.[3]
Environment
[edit]Located to the west of The Snake’s both major and minor kinks are two compact radio objects named G359.132-0.200 (a radio pulsar) and G359.120-0.265.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Yusef-Zadeh, F; Zhao, Jun-Hui; Arendt, R; Wardle, M; Heinke, C O; Royster, M; Lang, C; Michail, J (2024-05-01). "G359.13142-0.20005: a steep spectrum radio pulsar candidate with an X-ray counterpart running into the Galactic Centre Snake (G359.1-0.2)". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 530 (1): 254–263. doi:10.1093/mnras/stae549. ISSN 0035-8711.
- ^ Nicholls, Jennifer; Le Strange, E. T. (April 1995). "A Star Trail Model of the Galactic Center Snake". The Astrophysical Journal. 443: 638. Bibcode:1995ApJ...443..638N. doi:10.1086/175555. ISSN 0004-637X.
- ^ Freismuth, T. M.; Lang, C. C.; Yusef-Zadeh, F.; Goss, W. M. (May 2004). "The Structure of the Galactic Center Snake". American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #204. 204: 59.05. Bibcode:2004AAS...204.5905F.