Milky Way 'Bone' Sheds Light On Spiral Galaxy's Structure, Researchers Say

By: SPACE.com Staff Published: 01/08/2013 04:04 PM EST on SPACE.com Astronomers have spotted a new component of the Milky Way galaxy's skeleton -- a "bone" of dust and gas that contains about as much material as 100,000 suns. The newfound Milky Way bone is more than 300 light-years long but just 1 or 2 light-years wide, giving it the appearance of a slender cosmic snake, researchers said. "This is the first time we've seen such a delicate piece of the galactic skeleton," study lead author Alyssa...