Right now there is a rogue star cluster zooming through our galaxy, called Terzan 5. This star cluster was first observed in 1968, but now it’s solving a critical puzzle astronomers and physicists have toiled over for more than a century.
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00:00Right now, there's a rogue star cluster zooming through our galaxy called Terzan 5.
00:08The star cluster was first observed in 1968, but now it's solving a critical puzzle astronomers
00:14and physicists have toiled over for more than a century.
00:17The issue is that cosmic rays don't always act like we anticipate, and the ones coming
00:20from Terzan 5 are no different, with its gamma rays coming from an area around 30 light-years
00:25from where they should have.
00:27Now researchers say it's likely because of the cluster's movement through space and the
00:30fact that it's essentially a cosmic-scale comet.
00:34They say that because Terzan 5 is traveling at hundreds of thousands of miles per hour,
00:37it has amassed a serious magnetic field.
00:40The cosmic rays it releases then travel along this magnetic field behind it, effectively
00:44gliding down a magnetic tail.
00:46They initially begin traveling away from us since the cluster is currently moving towards
00:50the sun, but because of magnetic fluctuations, they don't continue on that path.
00:55Some of them turn and point in our direction, but of course that takes around 30 years since
00:59they are traveling at near light speed.
01:02And because we can track Terzan 5, astronomers have now been able to calculate those very
01:06magnetic fluctuations.