• Something strange is happening in the Milky Wayâ s magnetic field A stunning new map of the Milky Way reveals a dramatic magnetic flip hiding in plain sight. • For generations, scientists have studied the stars and planets to better understand how our galaxy works. • Jo-Anne Brown, PhD, is focused on charting something we cannot see at all: the Milky Way’s magnetic field. • “Without a magnetic field, the galaxy would collapse in on itself due to gravity,” says Brown, a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Calgary. • “We need to know what the magnetic field of the galaxy looks like now, so we can create accurate models that predict how it will evolve.” New Milky Way Magnetic Field Data and Models This month, Brown and her colleagues published two new studies inThe Astrophysical JournalandThe Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. • Together, the papers introduce a complete dataset that astronomers around the world can use, along with a new model designed to improve understanding of how the Milky Way’s magnetic field developed over time.

Article Summaries:

  • Researchers at the University of Calgary have released one of the most detailed maps of the Milky Way’s magnetic field, revealing unexpected twists in its structure. Using the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory’s new radio telescope, the team measured Faraday rotation across the northern sky, producing a comprehensive dataset for the Global Magneto‑Ionic Medium Survey. The resulting map shows a diagonal magnetic reversal in the Sagittarius Arm, where the field direction opposes the galaxy‑wide clockwise orientation. The studies, published in The Astrophysical Journal and its supplement, provide a new model for the field’s evolution and a resource for astronomers worldwide.

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