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Reference.org
Radcliffe wave
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<p>The Radcliffe wave is a neighbouring coherent gaseous structure in the <a href="/facts/Milky_Way/ulF6lccN">Milky Way</a>, dotted with a related high concentration of interconnected <a href="/facts/Stellar_nursery/SMyfVDY6">stellar nurseries</a>. It stretches about 8,800 light years. This structure runs with the trajectory of the <a href="/facts/Milky_Way/ulF6lccN">Milky Way</a> arms. </p><p>It lies at its closest (the <a href="/facts/Taurus_Molecular_Cloud/sSwwA47g">Taurus Molecular Cloud</a>) at around 400 <a href="/facts/Light-year/IGc5NdQb">light-years</a> and at its farthest about 5,000 light-years (the <a href="/facts/Cygnus_X_(star_complex)/NkVfnroR">Cygnus X</a> star complex) from the <a href="/facts/Sun/CadPCVHh">Sun</a>, always within the <a href="/facts/Orion_Arm/Vo4Clzk5">Local Arm (Orion Arm)</a> itself, spanning about 40% of its length and on average 20% of its width. Its discovery was announced in January 2020, and its proximity surprised astronomers. </p>