Radcliffe wave

<h2 id="formation">Formation</h2>

Scientists do not know how the undulation of dust and gas formed. It has been suggested that it could be a result of a much smaller galaxy <a href="/facts/Impact_event/fbWu9Q4p">colliding</a> with the Milky Way, leaving behind "ripples", or could be related to <a href="/facts/Dark_matter/y5HgX55N">dark matter</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9">9</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10">10</a> Inside the dense clouds, gas can be so compressed that new <a href="/facts/Stars/PFbd6ICx">stars</a> are born.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11">11</a> It has been suggested that this may be where the <a href="/facts/Sun/CadPCVHh">Sun</a> originated.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12">12</a>
Many of the star-forming regions found in the Radcliffe wave were thought to be part of a similar-sized but somewhat helio-centric ring which contained the <a href="/facts/Solar_System/QIcLSazQ">Solar System</a>, the "<a href="/facts/Gould_Belt/M9xoWDyR">Gould Belt</a>". It is now understood the nearest discrete relative concentration of sparse <a href="/facts/Interstellar_medium/mokU0WEz">interstellar matter</a> instead forms a massive wave.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13">13</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14">14</a>

<h2 id="discovery">Discovery</h2>
The wave was discovered by an international team of astronomers including Catherine Zucker and João Alves.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15">15</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16">16</a> It was announced by co-author <a href="/facts/Alyssa_A._Goodman/DJmEE9aP">Alyssa A. Goodman</a> at the 235th meeting of the <a href="/facts/American_Astronomical_Society/f5ohaItD">American Astronomical Society</a>, held at Honolulu<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17">17</a> and published in the journal <a href="/facts/Nature_(journal)/XmlJXkFx">Nature</a> on 7 January 2020.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18">18</a> The discovery was made using data collected by the <a href="/facts/European_Space_Agency/L8YRNV0C">European Space Agency</a>'s <a href="/facts/Gaia_(spacecraft)/dlvcdkoN">Gaia</a> space observatory.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19">19</a> 
The wave was invisible in <a href="/facts/2D_computer_graphics/j6dBxDpX">2D</a>, requiring new <a href="/facts/3D_computer_graphics/zlWW6eaF">3D</a> techniques of mapping interstellar matter to reveal its pattern using the software <a href="/facts/Glue_(software)/vrdQ76TN">Glue</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20">20</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21">21</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22">22</a> The proximity of the wave surprised astronomers.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23">23</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:24" href="#fn:24">24</a> It is named after the <a href="/facts/Radcliffe_Institute_for_Advanced_Study/2wulp949">Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study</a> in <a href="/facts/Cambridge%2c_Massachusetts/k9UMIJ7U">Cambridge, Massachusetts</a>, the place of study of the team.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:25" href="#fn:25">25</a>

<h2 id="structure-and-movement">Structure and movement</h2>
The Radcliffe wave contains four of the five <a href="/facts/Gould_Belt/M9xoWDyR">Gould Belt</a> clouds:

<ul><li><a href="/facts/Orion_molecular_cloud_complex/rnHFf8PQ">Orion molecular cloud complex</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Perseus_molecular_cloud/fm23HDzg">Perseus molecular cloud</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Taurus_molecular_cloud/sSwwA47g">Taurus molecular cloud</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Cepheus_OB2/tlzYj8lT">Cepheus OB2</a></li></ul>
The cloud not within its scope is the <a href="/facts/Rho_Ophiuchi_cloud_complex/YnwyupVW">Rho Ophiuchi Cloud complex</a>, part of a linear structure parallel to the Radcliffe wave.
Other structures in the wave, further from the local star system, are Canis Major OB1, the <a href="/facts/North_America_Nebula/E31wKkLw">North America Nebula</a> and <a href="/facts/Cygnus_X_(star_complex)/NkVfnroR">Cygnus X</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:26" href="#fn:26">26</a>
The mass of this structure is on the scale of 
 
 
 
 ≥
 3
 ×
 
 10
 
 6
 
 
 
 
 {\displaystyle \geq 3\times 10^{6}}
 
 <a href="/facts/Solar_mass/j6Auhku8">M☉</a>. It has a length of 8,800 <a href="/facts/Light-year/IGc5NdQb">light-years</a> (2,700 <a href="/facts/Parsec/SwSsk57J">parsecs</a>) and an amplitude of 520 <a href="/facts/Light-year/IGc5NdQb">light-years</a> (160 parsecs). The Radcliffe wave occupies about 20% of the width and 40% of the length of the <a href="/facts/Orion_Arm/Vo4Clzk5">local arm (Orion Arm)</a>. The latter is more dispersed as to its <a href="/facts/Interstellar_medium/mokU0WEz">interstellar medium</a> than the wave and has further large star-forming regions such as Monoceros OB1, <a href="/facts/California_Nebula/SndTlL05">California Nebula</a>, Cepheus Far, and <a href="/facts/Rho_Ophiuchi_cloud_complex/YnwyupVW">Rho Ophiuchi</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:27" href="#fn:27">27</a>
A 2024 paper announced the discovery that the Radcliffe wave is oscillating in the form of a <a href="/facts/Traveling_wave/I3EeyInV">traveling wave</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:28" href="#fn:28">28</a>

<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Antlia_2/ghpgNM74">Antlia 2</a>, another giant ripple across the Milky Way's disc found in data from the Gaia space telescope</li>
<li><a href="/facts/List_of_nearby_stellar_associations_and_moving_groups/DQVL9I20">List of nearby stellar associations and moving groups</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Great_Rift_(astronomy)/8fTMVyDS">Great Rift (astronomy)</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Serpens-Aquila_Rift/3D7heN0k">Serpens-Aquila Rift</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="further-reading">Further reading</h2>
<ul><li>Alves, João; Zucker, Catherine; Goodman, Alyssa A.; Speagle, Joshua S.; Meingast, Stefan; Robitaille, Thomas; Finkbeiner, Douglas P.; Schlafly, Edward F.; Green, Gregory M. (2020). "A Galactic-scale gas wave in the solar neighborhood". Nature. 578 (7794): 237–239. <a href="/facts/ArXiv_(identifier)/H6EtgnBe">arXiv</a>:<a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.08748">2001.08748</a>. <a href="/facts/Bibcode_(identifier)/9HtdQSGB">Bibcode</a>:<a href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2020Natur.578..237A">2020Natur.578..237A</a>. <a href="/facts/Doi_(identifier)/muM9Etpq">doi</a>:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fs41586-019-1874-z">10.1038/s41586-019-1874-z</a>. <a href="/facts/PMID_(identifier)/JlHAvMHt">PMID</a> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31910431">31910431</a>.</li></ul>
<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>
<ul><li><a href="http://worldwidetelescope.org/webclient/?tourUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffaun.rc.fas.harvard.edu%2Fczucker%2FPaper_Figures%2FRadWave_AAS_Sky.WTT">Interactive map of the Radcliffe wave on the sky</a></li>
<li><a href="https://sites.google.com/cfa.harvard.edu/radcliffewave/">The Radcliffe Wave</a> informational site created by Harvard University</li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1">"Astronomers discover huge gaseous wave holding Milky Way's newest stars". The Guardian. 7 January 2020. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 January 2020. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jan/07/astronomers-discover-huge-gaseous-wave-holding-milky-ways-newest-stars" target="_blank">https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jan/07/astronomers-discover-huge-gaseous-wave-holding-milky-ways-newest-stars</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:2">Rincon, Paul (7 January 2020). "Vast 'star nursery' region found in our galaxy". BBC News. Retrieved 7 January 2020. <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-51021704" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-51021704</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:3">Brandon, Specktor (7 January 2020). "Mysterious 'Wave' of Star-Forming Gas May Be the Largest Structure in the Galaxy". livescience.com. Retrieved 7 January 2020. <a href="https://www.livescience.com/radcliffe-wave-largest-milky-way-structure.html" target="_blank">https://www.livescience.com/radcliffe-wave-largest-milky-way-structure.html</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:4">Alves, João; Zucker, Catherine; Goodman, Alyssa A.; Speagle, Joshua S.; Meingast, Stefan; Robitaille, Thomas; Finkbeiner, Douglas P.; Schlafly, Edward F.; Green, Gregory M. (January 2020). "A Galactic-scale gas wave in the Solar Neighborhood". Nature. 578 (7794): 237–239. arXiv:2001.08748. Bibcode:2020Natur.578..237A. doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1874-z. PMID 31910431. <a href="/wiki/ArXiv_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ArXiv_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:5">Brandon, Specktor (7 January 2020). "Mysterious 'Wave' of Star-Forming Gas May Be the Largest Structure in the Galaxy". livescience.com. Retrieved 7 January 2020. <a href="https://www.livescience.com/radcliffe-wave-largest-milky-way-structure.html" target="_blank">https://www.livescience.com/radcliffe-wave-largest-milky-way-structure.html</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:6">Alves, João; Zucker, Catherine; Goodman, Alyssa A.; Speagle, Joshua S.; Meingast, Stefan; Robitaille, Thomas; Finkbeiner, Douglas P.; Schlafly, Edward F.; Green, Gregory M. (January 2020). "A Galactic-scale gas wave in the Solar Neighborhood". Nature. 578 (7794): 237–239. arXiv:2001.08748. Bibcode:2020Natur.578..237A. doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1874-z. PMID 31910431. <a href="/wiki/ArXiv_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ArXiv_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:7">"Astronomers discover huge gaseous wave holding Milky Way's newest stars". The Guardian. 7 January 2020. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 January 2020. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jan/07/astronomers-discover-huge-gaseous-wave-holding-milky-ways-newest-stars" target="_blank">https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jan/07/astronomers-discover-huge-gaseous-wave-holding-milky-ways-newest-stars</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:8">Osborne, Hannah (7 January 2020). "Something appears to have collided with the Milky Way and created a huge wave in the galactic plane". Newsweek. <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/milky-way-huge-wave-collision-1480799" target="_blank">https://www.newsweek.com/milky-way-huge-wave-collision-1480799</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:9">"Astronomers discover huge gaseous wave holding Milky Way's newest stars". The Guardian. 7 January 2020. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 January 2020. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jan/07/astronomers-discover-huge-gaseous-wave-holding-milky-ways-newest-stars" target="_blank">https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jan/07/astronomers-discover-huge-gaseous-wave-holding-milky-ways-newest-stars</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:10">"Something Appears to Have Collided with the Milky Way and Created a Huge Wave in the Galactic Plane". Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2020. <a href="https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/news/in-news/something-appears-have-collided-milky-way-and-created-huge-wave-in-galactic-plane" target="_blank">https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/news/in-news/something-appears-have-collided-milky-way-and-created-huge-wave-in-galactic-plane</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:11">Rincon, Paul (7 January 2020). "Vast 'star nursery' region found in our galaxy". BBC News. Retrieved 7 January 2020. <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-51021704" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-51021704</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:12">"Astronomers discover huge gaseous wave holding Milky Way's newest stars". The Guardian. 7 January 2020. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 January 2020. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jan/07/astronomers-discover-huge-gaseous-wave-holding-milky-ways-newest-stars" target="_blank">https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jan/07/astronomers-discover-huge-gaseous-wave-holding-milky-ways-newest-stars</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:13">"Astronomers discover huge gaseous wave holding Milky Way's newest stars". The Guardian. 7 January 2020. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 January 2020. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jan/07/astronomers-discover-huge-gaseous-wave-holding-milky-ways-newest-stars" target="_blank">https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jan/07/astronomers-discover-huge-gaseous-wave-holding-milky-ways-newest-stars</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:14">Rincon, Paul (7 January 2020). "Vast 'star nursery' region found in our galaxy". BBC News. Retrieved 7 January 2020. <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-51021704" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-51021704</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:15">McIntosh, Bennett (7 January 2020). "An Interstellar Ribbon of Clouds in the Sun's Backyard". Harvard Magazine. Retrieved 7 January 2020. <a href="https://harvardmagazine.com/2020/01/intergalactic-radcliffe-wave" target="_blank">https://harvardmagazine.com/2020/01/intergalactic-radcliffe-wave</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:16">Alves, João; Zucker, Catherine; Goodman, Alyssa A.; Speagle, Joshua S.; Meingast, Stefan; Robitaille, Thomas; Finkbeiner, Douglas P.; Schlafly, Edward F.; Green, Gregory M. (January 2020). "A Galactic-scale gas wave in the Solar Neighborhood". Nature. 578 (7794): 237–239. arXiv:2001.08748. Bibcode:2020Natur.578..237A. doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1874-z. PMID 31910431. <a href="/wiki/ArXiv_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ArXiv_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:17">Strickland, Ashley (7 January 2020). "Astronomers discover giant wave-shaped structure in the Milky Way". CNN. Retrieved 7 January 2020. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/07/world/new-milky-way-map-scn/index.html" target="_blank">https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/07/world/new-milky-way-map-scn/index.html</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:18">"New map of Milky Way reveals giant wave of stellar nurseries". Phys.org. Retrieved 7 January 2020. <a href="https://phys.org/news/2020-01-milky-reveals-giant-stellar-nurseries.html" target="_blank">https://phys.org/news/2020-01-milky-reveals-giant-stellar-nurseries.html</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:19">Dunn, Marcia (8 January 2020). "Titanic wave of star-forming gases found in Milky Way". Associated Press. ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved 8 January 2020 – via Japan Times Online. <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/01/08/world/science-health-world/titanic-wave-star-forming-gases-found-milky-way/" target="_blank">https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/01/08/world/science-health-world/titanic-wave-star-forming-gases-found-milky-way/</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:20">Rincon, Paul (7 January 2020). "Vast 'star nursery' region found in our galaxy". BBC News. Retrieved 7 January 2020. <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-51021704" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-51021704</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:21">Dunn, Marcia (8 January 2020). "Titanic wave of star-forming gases found in Milky Way". Associated Press. ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved 8 January 2020 – via Japan Times Online. <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/01/08/world/science-health-world/titanic-wave-star-forming-gases-found-milky-way/" target="_blank">https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/01/08/world/science-health-world/titanic-wave-star-forming-gases-found-milky-way/</a> <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:22">Strickland, Ashley (7 January 2020). "Astronomers discover giant wave-shaped structure in the Milky Way". CNN. Retrieved 7 January 2020. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/07/world/new-milky-way-map-scn/index.html" target="_blank">https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/07/world/new-milky-way-map-scn/index.html</a> <a href="#fnref:22" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:23">"Astronomers discover huge gaseous wave holding Milky Way's newest stars". The Guardian. 7 January 2020. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 January 2020. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jan/07/astronomers-discover-huge-gaseous-wave-holding-milky-ways-newest-stars" target="_blank">https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jan/07/astronomers-discover-huge-gaseous-wave-holding-milky-ways-newest-stars</a> <a href="#fnref:23" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:24">Osborne, Hannah (7 January 2020). "Something appears to have collided with the Milky Way and created a huge wave in the galactic plane". Newsweek. <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/milky-way-huge-wave-collision-1480799" target="_blank">https://www.newsweek.com/milky-way-huge-wave-collision-1480799</a> <a href="#fnref:24" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:25">Dunn, Marcia (8 January 2020). "Titanic wave of star-forming gases found in Milky Way". Associated Press. ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved 8 January 2020 – via Japan Times Online. <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/01/08/world/science-health-world/titanic-wave-star-forming-gases-found-milky-way/" target="_blank">https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/01/08/world/science-health-world/titanic-wave-star-forming-gases-found-milky-way/</a> <a href="#fnref:25" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:26">Alves, João; Zucker, Catherine; Goodman, Alyssa A.; Speagle, Joshua S.; Meingast, Stefan; Robitaille, Thomas; Finkbeiner, Douglas P.; Schlafly, Edward F.; Green, Gregory M. (January 2020). "A Galactic-scale gas wave in the Solar Neighborhood". Nature. 578 (7794): 237–239. arXiv:2001.08748. Bibcode:2020Natur.578..237A. doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1874-z. PMID 31910431. <a href="/wiki/ArXiv_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ArXiv_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:26" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:27">Alves, João; Zucker, Catherine; Goodman, Alyssa A.; Speagle, Joshua S.; Meingast, Stefan; Robitaille, Thomas; Finkbeiner, Douglas P.; Schlafly, Edward F.; Green, Gregory M. (January 2020). "A Galactic-scale gas wave in the Solar Neighborhood". Nature. 578 (7794): 237–239. arXiv:2001.08748. Bibcode:2020Natur.578..237A. doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1874-z. PMID 31910431. <a href="/wiki/ArXiv_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ArXiv_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:27" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:28">Konietzka, Ralf; Goodman, Alyssa A.; Zucker, Catherine; Burkert, Andreas; Alves, João; Foley, Michael; Swiggum, Cameren; Koller, Maria; Miret-Roig, Núria (20 February 2024). "The Radcliffe Wave is Oscillating". Nature. 628 (8006): 62–65. arXiv:2402.12596. doi:10.1038/s41586-024-07127-3. PMID 38378142. <a href="/wiki/Nature_(journal)" target="_blank">/wiki/Nature_(journal)</a> <a href="#fnref:28" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
</ol>

Radcliffe wave open-in-new

Radcliffe wave