Australian scientists have created the largest-ever map of cosmic magnetic fields, using data from nearly four million galaxies. The map, named SPICE_RACS, was produced by a global team led by the CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, and published in the Astronomical Society of Australia.
Dr Alec Thomson, an astronomer with CSIRO, explained that magnetic fields exist around Earth, stars, galaxies, and even in the material between galaxies. The map will help scientists investigate fundamental questions about the universe's physics, including how magnetic fields originated and evolved since the Big Bang.
The map was made possible by the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), a powerful radio telescope array located at the Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara observatory in Western Australia. This instrument can scan vast areas of the sky and peer deep into distant galaxies.
Professor Naomi McClure-Griffiths, an author of the paper and chief scientist of the SKA observatory, noted that previous magnetic field maps did not cover the southern sky. She said the new dataset, five times larger and more detailed than previous efforts, will allow scientists to answer big questions about the universe's magnetic structures.
Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith, an astrophysicist at UNSW Sydney not involved in the study, highlighted that magnetic fields are one of the two major forces moving objects in space, alongside gravity. She described the map as a valuable open resource for scientists worldwide, enabling future discoveries about star-forming regions and galaxies.
