Hidden tunnel in space could connect our solar system with other distant worlds

You may think that the fact we sit on a rock spinning at 1,000mph, 93 million miles away from a 4.6 billion-year-old star that keeps us warm is weird enough. But there’s plenty more about the cosmos to get your brain in a twist.

The entire solar system, ours at least, sits inside a pocket of low density called the Local Hot Bubble (LHB). This cavity in space is 1,000 light-years across, at least, and tips the thermometer at over 1 million degrees. However, such an empty region, while the atoms are sparse, remain a mystery.

The burning hot, x-ray emitting gap in space inside which we sit was likely caused by supernovae explosions that literally blasted all the rubble away, opening things up and allowing live to evolve in relative peace on Earth.

More than one interstellar tunnel found

Scientists have now managed to start drawing up a map of the LHB, and it has revealed a shocking secret. Using the eROSITA x-ray telescope, it has been determined that the void is actually, as put by one scientists on the project, “spiky and bumpy”.

The most surprising discovery of this new map was the appearance of an interstellar tunnel from our solar system pointing towards the constellation Centaurus. Hot gas escapes via this ‘passageway’ that was previously unknown to science.

“What we didn’t know was the existence of an interstellar tunnel towards Centaurus, which carves a gap in the cooler interstellar medium,” scientist Michael Freyberg said.

And it’s not the only one. Research also showed that there is a similar tunnel potentially linking the LHB to the Gum Nebula.

TheBrighterSide.com notes that the central positioning of the Sun within the LHB is “purely coincidental” and that “as the solar system moves through the Milky Way, we’re likely just passing through this cosmic cavity.”

While we can’t travel through the tunnel just yet, the discovery is an exciting one as it could hint at there being more of these bubbles and tunnels, potentially giving us even more clues about the history of the solar system, the galaxy and the universe as a whole.

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.