The Milky Way is home to gas, dust, billions of stars, and a supermassive black hole at its center. Living in this galactic home gives us exclusive insight into its components, but it also hinders our ability to get a zoomed out view of its structure.

A new study led by the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), and with contributions from Radboud University's Marijke Haverkorn, has unveiled significant insights into the Milky Way: a magnetized galactic halo.

New research, utilizing data from the Gaia space telescope, suggests that the Milky Way's last significant collision occurred much later than previously believed—within the last three billion years. By analyzing the wrinkles caused by past galactic collisions,