Fermi: Milky Way

From solar flares to black hole jets: NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has produced a unique time-lapse tour of the dynamic high-energy sky. Fermi Deputy Project Scientist Judy Racusin narrates this movie, which compresses 14 years of gamma-ray observations into 6 minutes. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and NASA/DOE/LAT CollaborationMusic: "Expanding Shell" written and produced by Lars Leonhard.Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available.Video descriptive text available. || Fermi_14Year_Narrated_Still_print.jpg (1024x576) [157.6 KB] || Fermi_14Year_Narrated_Still.jpg (3840x2160) [891.9 KB] || Fermi_14Year_Narrated_Still_searchweb.png (320x180) [39.2 KB] || Fermi_14Year_Narrated_Still_thm.png (80x40) [4.2 KB] || 14399_Fermi_14Year_Narrated_sub100.mp4 (1920x1080) [90.5 MB] || 14399_Fermi_14Year_Narrated_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [908.7 MB] || 14399_Fermi_14Year_Narrated_1080.webm (1920x1080) [49.4 MB] || 14399_Fermi_14Year_Narrated_ProRes_3840x2160_2997.mov (3840x2160) [19.4 GB] || 14399_Fermi_14Year_Narrated_4k.mp4 (3840x2160) [2.2 GB] || Fermi_14Year_Narrated_SRT_Captions.en_US.srt [8.4 KB] || Fermi_14Year_Narrated_SRT_Captions.en_US.vtt [8.0 KB] ||

This visualization shows 294 gamma-ray pulsars, first plotted on an image of the entire starry sky as seen from Earth and then transitioning to a view from above our galaxy. The symbols show different types of pulsars. Young pulsars blink in real time except for the Crab, which pulses slower because its rate is only slightly lower than the video frame rate. Millisecond pulsars remain steady, pulsing too quickly to see. The Crab, Vela, and Geminga were among the 11 gamma-ray pulsars known before Fermi launched. Other notable objects are also highlighted. Distances are shown in light-years (abbreviated ly).Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: "Fascination" from Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA.gov Video YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || Pulsar_Still.jpg (3840x2160) [3.5 MB] || Pulsar_Still_searchweb.png (320x180) [105.5 KB] || Pulsar_Still_thm.png (80x40) [7.0 KB] || 14434_Fermi_Pulsar_Locations_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [93.9 MB] || 14434_Fermi_Pulsar_Locations_1080.webm (1920x1080) [10.0 MB] || 14434_Fermi_Pulsar_Locations_ProRes_3840x2160_2997.mov (3840x2160) [4.5 GB] || 14434_Fermi_Pulsar_Locations_4k_Best.mp4 (3840x2160) [689.2 MB] || 14434_Fermi_Pulsar_Locations_4k_Good.mp4 (3840x2160) [112.8 MB] || Pulsar_Captions.en_US.srt [46 bytes] || Pulsar_Captions.en_US.vtt [56 bytes] ||

A visualization of the 294 pulsars in the Fermi gamma-ray pulsar catalog. The visualization starts with a full-sky Hammer projection view of the catalog. Different types of pulsars are indicated by different markers. The pulsar markers oscillate in size according to the object's pulsation frequency at actual speed. Millisecond pulsars are just shown as solid markers. The map then morphs into the full 3D view of the pulsar distribution, and we then fly out to give a top down view showing the distribution of gamma-ray pulsars in our galaxy. || pulsar3DMap_2160p30.00200_print.jpg (1024x576) [174.0 KB] || pulsar3DMap_2160p30.00200_searchweb.png (320x180) [72.3 KB] || pulsar3DMap_2160p30.00200_thm.png (80x40) [5.4 KB] || frames/3840x2160_16x9_30p/full/ (3840x2160) [256.0 KB] || pulsar3DMap_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [240.8 MB] ||

Before NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope launched in 2008, only a handful of pulsars, including the Crab, Vela, and Geminga, were known to emit gamma-rays, the highest-energy form of light. Shown here are 294 gamma-ray pulsars detected by Fermi. Young pulsars, formed when massive stars explode, are the slowest rotators, typically spinning about 10 times a second. Paradoxically, their older siblings, called millisecond pulsars (MSPs), spin much faster, up to hundreds of times a second, thanks to the effects of a stream of matter pulled from a companion star. In spider systems, the companion is all but consumed. The most energetic spiders may fully evaporate their companions, leaving behind only an isolated MSP. Studying pulsars provides insights into the interplay of gravity, radiation, and magnetic fields with matter in the most extreme state we can observe directly.The WorldWide Telescope is a tool for showcasing astronomical data and knowledge. It’s not a physical telescope — it’s a suite of free and open source software and data sets that combine to create stunning scientific visualizations and stories. ||

Watch a cosmic gamma-ray fireworks show in this animation using just a year of data from the Large Area Telescope (LAT) aboard NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. Each object’s magenta circle grows as it brightens and shrinks as it dims. The yellow circle represents the Sun following its apparent annual path across the sky. The animation shows a subset of the LAT gamma-ray records now available for more than 1,500 objects in a new, continually updated repository. Over 90% of these sources are a type of galaxy called a blazar, powered by the activity of a supermassive black hole.Credit: NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center/Daniel Kocevski || Fermi_LAT_LCR_Feb2022-Feb2023_Dark_ProRes_3840x2160.mov (3840x2160) [170.3 MB] || Fermi_LAT_LCR_Feb2022-Feb2023_Dark_1600.gif (1600x900) [6.5 MB] || Fermi_LAT_LCR_Feb2022-Feb2023_Dark_1050.gif (1050x590) [3.2 MB] || Fermi_LAT_LCR_Feb2022-Feb2023_Dark.gif (800x450) [2.1 MB] || Fermi_LAT_LCR_Feb2022-Feb2023_Dark_4k.mp4 (3840x2160) [12.1 MB] || Fermi_LAT_LCR_Feb2022-Feb2023_Dark_4k.webm (3840x2160) [1.9 MB] ||

Using data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, scientists have recently discovered a gigantic, mysterious structure in our galaxy. This never-before-seen feature looks like a pair of bubbles extending above and below our galaxy's center. But these enormous gamma-ray emitting lobes aren't immediately visible in the Fermi all-sky map. However, by processing the data, a group of scientists was able to bring these unexpected structures into sharp relief. Each lobe is 25,000 light-years tall and the whole structure may be only a few million years old. Within the bubbles, extremely energetic electrons are interacting with lower-energy light to create gamma rays, but right now, no one knows the source of these electrons.Are the bubbles remnants of a massive burst of star formation? Leftovers from an eruption by the supermassive black hole at our galaxy's center? Or or did these forces work in tandem to produce them? Scientists aren't sure yet, but the more they learn about this amazing structure, the better we'll understand the Milky Way.For an animation that shows the inverse Compton scattering responsible for the gamma rays, go to #10690.For an animation that shows an artist's interpretation of the Milky Way galaxy and the lobes, go to#10691. ||

Tour the best view of the high-energy gamma-ray sky yet seen. This video highlights the plane of our galaxy and identifies objects producing gamma rays with energies greater than 1 TeV. Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.For complete transcript, click here.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center || 2FHL_Still_print.jpg (1024x576) [66.4 KB] || 2FHL_Still.png (3840x2160) [19.0 MB] || 2FHL_Still_searchweb.png (320x180) [55.9 KB] || 2FHL_Still_thm.png (80x40) [5.5 KB] || 12019_2FHL_H264_Good_1920x1080_2997.mov (1920x1080) [39.6 MB] || 12019_2FHL_H264_Good_1920x1080_2997.webm (1920x1080) [9.9 MB] || 12019_2FHL_3840x2160_FINAL_appletv.m4v (1280x720) [49.2 MB] || 12019_2FHL_3840x2160_FINAL_appletv_subtitles.m4v (1280x720) [49.3 MB] || 12019_2FHL_ProRes_3840x2160_2997.mov (3840x2160) [3.8 GB] || 12019_2FHL_3840x2160_2997_40mbps.mp4 (3840x2160) [371.2 MB] || 12019_2FHL_3840x2160_2997_20mbps.mp4 (3840x2160) [190.4 MB] || 12019_2FHL_SRT_Captions.en_US.srt [330 bytes] || 12019_2FHL_SRT_Captions.en_US.vtt [343 bytes] || 12019_2FHL_3840x2160_FINAL_lowres.mp4 (480x272) [13.0 MB] || NASA_PODCAST_12019_2FHL_3840x2160_FINAL_ipod_sm.mp4 (320x240) [17.8 MB] ||

Using public data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, independent scientists at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Harvard University, MIT and the University of Chicago have developed new maps showing that the galactic center produces more high-energy gamma rays than can be explained by known sources and that this excess emission is consistent with some forms of dark matter. No one knows the true nature of dark matter, but WIMPs, or Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, represent a leading class of candidates. Theorists have envisioned a wide range of WIMP types, some of which may either mutually annihilate or produce an intermediate, quickly decaying particle when they collide. Both of these pathways end with the production of gamma rays — the most energetic form of light — at energies within the detection range of Fermi's Large Area Telescope (LAT).The galactic center teems with gamma-ray sources, from interacting binary systems and isolated pulsars to supernova remnants and particles colliding with interstellar gas. It's also where astronomers expect to find the galaxy's highest density of dark matter, which only affects normal matter and radiation through its gravity. Large amounts of dark matter attract normal matter, forming a foundation upon which visible structures, like galaxies, are built. When the astronomers carefully subtract all known gamma-ray sources from LAT observations of the galactic center, a patch of leftover emission remains. This excess appears most prominent at energies between 1 and 3 billion electron volts (GeV) — roughly a billion times greater than that of visible light — and extends outward at least 5,000 light-years from the galactic center. The researchers find these features difficult to reconcile with other explanations proposed, such as undiscovered pulsars. The gamma-ray spectrum of the excess, its symmetry around the galactic center and its overall brightness, is, however, consistent with annihilations of dark matter particles in the mass range of 31 and 40 GeV. The scientists note that discoveries in other astronomical objects, such as dwarf galaxies, and experiments on Earth designed to directly detect dark matter particles will be needed to confirm this interpretation. For more information: Fermi Data Tantalize With New Clues To Dark Matter ||

The Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) will observe the sky in gamma-rays with energies between 10 million electron volts (MeV) to 300 billion electron volts (GeV) (a photon of visible light is roughly 2 electron volts). At these energies, the detectors will receive roughly 2 photons every second. At these energies, the objects visible will be active galaxies, quasars, pulsars, and gamma-ray bursts. This visualization is generated from one year of simulated photon event-lists using known sources. These event lists are used for testing the various data analysis software being developed for the project. Due to the extremely low event rate, it takes about one week of event accumulation to see structure in the sky. To generate the 600+ frames of this visualization, the event lists were box-car averaged for a duration of one week for each frame, and each frame shifted 50,000 seconds in time from the previous frame. The low angular resolution of gamma-ray detectors makes point sources appear spread out in the sky. In these maps, the color of each pixel represents the number of photons accumulated in that pixel (over an energy range of 10MeV-300GeV). Horizontally, across the center of the map, is the diffuse emission from the plane of our own Milky Way galaxy. The images are projected in galactic coordinates with a plate carrée projection so there is significant distortion with increasing latitude above the galactic disk. This emission in the galactic plane is created by pulsars and supernova remnants. Located away from this plane is emission from active galaxies and high-velocity pulsars. Occasionally, a bright spot appears which can be a gamma-ray burst or quasar in an active state. ||

Scientists have discovered gigantic structures 25,000 light-years tall ballooning above and below the Milky Way. Within each curved lobe, extremely energetic electrons of unknown origin interact with lower-energy light to generate the gamma rays that define these bubbles. The galactic-scale structures could be remnants from a burst of star formation or leftovers from an eruption by the supermassive black hole at our galaxy's center. Scientists aren't sure yet, but the more they learn about this amazing structure, which may be only a few million years old, the better we'll understand the Milky Way. While not immediately visible to NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, these unexpected features were brought into sharp relief by a group of scientists who processed data from Fermi's all-sky map. The visualization below shows how artists imagine the lobes would appear if gamma rays were visible to the naked eye. ||