【Watch Nice Sister】

Near the center of the Milky Wayare enormous filaments of radio energy that sometimes look like bones,Watch Nice Sister and one in particular has astronomers playing orthopaedists. 

If the new picture at the top of this story reminds you of an X-ray, well, that's because it is. Scientists used a spacetelescope to examine a conspicuous fracture along the bone's 230 light-yearlength. The images from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, coupled with data from the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa and the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array, have revealed what likely caused it to crack. 

The assailant, seen right at the point of the break, could be a fast-spinning neutron star, known as a pulsar. Scientists think that, as the object whizzed through the galaxy at breakneck speed, it slammed through the bone and just kept on going. The collision apparently distorted the bone's magnetic field and warped its radio signal.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

SEE ALSO: Scientists discover a rebellious star family defying the cosmic order NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory helped scientists study The Snake, a filament of radio energy near the Milky Way's galactic center. Credit: NASA / CXC / J. Vaughan illustration

The discovery not only offers a diagnosis for how the filament fractured but highlights that a single star can rattle the galaxy, even long after its own death. The findingsdescribed by NASA this week were published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Researchers have named the filament G359-dot-something-something-something, but friends and fun astronomers just call it "The Snake." Why, you might ask? Because G359.13142-0.20005 just doesn't roll off the tongue. 

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

The glowing streak threads through the congested downtown of the Milky Way. Dozens of other such filamentsappear in radio waves around the galactic center, lit up by particles spiraling through parallel magnetic fields. The Snake is one of the longest and brightest of its kind.

But why these structures exist — and what makes some longer and more luminous than others — remains a mystery. 

---

Related Stories

---

• He found a Milky Way black hole 50 years ago, and finally got to see it
• A star factory at the heart of our galaxy is mysterious and important
• The best telescopes for gazing at stars and solar eclipses in 2024
• Webb telescope just found the holy grail in a famous supernova
• A star-like thing is flying 1 million mph in space. What the heck?

An annotated version of a composite image of The Snake shows a close-up view of the fracture and the object that likely created it. Credit: NASA / CXC / Northwestern University / F. Yusef-Zadeh et al / NRF / SARAO / MeerKat / SAO / N. Wolk

As for the assailant, it's trying to make a quick getaway. Neutron stars form when massive stars explode into supernovas, leaving behind a crushed stellar core, perhaps just 10 miles wide. But a pulsarbeams radiation as it revolves like a lighthouse beacon. 

The new images also suggest extra X-rays may be coming from the area around the pulsar. Particles like electrons and positrons — tiny pieces of matter and antimatter — that sped up during the crash may have caused them. 

After a supernova, remnant neutron stars often get an intense kickback from the blast. Scientists estimate this pulsar could be flying at a dizzying 1 million to 2 million mph. 

Topics NASA

• Shopping
• Entertainment
• Life
• Science
• Games
• Deals
• Social Good
• Digital Culture

• The 10 Most Anticipated PC Games of 2016
• Kanye West cuts gig short after Kim Kardashian reportedly held at gunpoint
• Perfect photo of Rickie Fowler proves the single life's not so bad
• 'Saturday Night Live' takes on first presidential debate
• The Sound and the “Furious”
• Na'Vi becomes one of the best 'CS:GO' teams after big ESL One victory
• LeBron James just endorsed Hillary Clinton for president
• A farewell to Meerkat from those who called it a community of friends
• Best Apple deal: Save $19 on AirTag 4
• Donald Trump was terrible to women during 'The Apprentice,' staffers claim

• MashTalk: How to fix all the damage the tech companies have done
• Download this: Photos Companion is Microsoft's answer to AirDrop
• Two huge drills take a much
• Musk gets permission to do a little digging for his hyperloop
• Twitter pranksters are spreading a bug that crashes iPhones
• Adam Rippon hired as NBC Winter Olympics commentator
• Russian bots try to control Florida shooting conversation
• Snapchat's 'High School Shooting' featured story was a new test for Snap Maps
• Models rocked 'Vagina Mohawks' so hard at New York Fashion Week
• This restaurant's egg

• Astronomers saw one galaxy impale another. The damage was an eye
• For $16,000, you can hunt with eagles in the wilds of Mongolia
• 9 men jailed after stripping down to undies featuring Malaysia's flag
• Kanye West cuts gig short after Kim Kardashian reportedly held at gunpoint
• NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for May 19: Tips to solve Connections #238
• Tesla's car deliveries increase by 70%
• 'Call of Duty' legend Phillip 'Phizzurp' Klemenov dies in car accident
• New augmented reality comic book shows the resilience of acid attack survivors
• Best keyboard deals: Save on Asus gaming keyboards at Amazon
• Watch Solange Knowles' album come to life with 2 new music videos

• Best portable power station deal: Save 44% on the Jackery Explorer 100 v2
• 'Saturday Night Live' takes on first presidential debate
• This is the moment Kanye left his concert mid
• College football star shares battle with eating disorder in powerful Facebook note
• Every MCU movie villain ranked, from "Iron Man" to "Thunderbolts*"
• The Steelers' Antonio Brown got flagged again, this time for pelvic thrusting
• Facebook Messenger Lite is here for slow connections and older Androids
• Luke's Diner from 'Gilmore Girls' is coming to your town
• Hurricane Laura's impact lingered with nightmarish mosquito swarms
• Londoner spends 15 hours stitching the greatest 'Arthur' meme of all time