X-Ray Chimneys

First astronomers discovered enormous gamma-ray-emitting bubbles above and below the galactic plane—the ‘Fermi bubbles’ I wrote about last time.

Then they found ‘X-ray chimneys’ connecting these bubbles to the center of the Milky Way!

These X-ray chimneys are about 500 light-years tall. That’s huge, but tiny compared to the Fermi bubbles, which are 25,000 light years across. They may have been produced by the black hole at the center of the Galaxy. We’re not completely sure yet.

Here’s an X-...