The Length of The Milky Way's Spiral Arms | NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

The Length of The Milky Way's Spiral Arms | NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

A new result shows that the outer spiral arms in the Milky Way galaxy may reach wider than previously thought. This finding may lead astronomers to adjust their understanding of our home galaxy’s structure.

A team of astronomers made this discovery by making precise measurements of distances to dust clouds in the Milky Way’s spiral arms using data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the  European Space Agency's XMM-Newton. The researchers determined the distances by studying rings around gamma-ray bursts, or GRBs, examples of the brightest bursts of light in the universe that come from the collapse of massive stars or the merger of neutron stars. GRBs are located at enormous distances, well beyond the confines of the Milky Way galaxy.

The distance measurement technique in this study capitalized on the phenomenon of light echoes, where the light from the GRB bounced off intervening dust clouds in the spiral arms along the line of sight to Earth. The diameters of the rings in X-rays give the distances to Earth with larger rings being generated by dust clouds closer to us.

The advantage of this method is that this is a very direct way—relying only on geometry—to precisely measure distances to the Milky Way’s spiral arms. Most other methods rely on assumptions about how the Milky Way rotates, becoming increasingly uncertain in the outer regions of our Galaxy.

Despite a century of awareness of the Milky Way’s spiral arms, astronomers are still working toward precise characterization of its arms due to Earth’s position within one, along with the dust and gas that block the view to other arms.

Although this technique is a major improvement, it may be difficult to use it for further measurements because bright GRBs that are visible through the plane of the galaxy are rare. In the meantime, astronomers will take a closer look at what could be the new geometry of our home galaxy, thanks to this new study.

Video Credit: NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory
Duration: 2 minutes, 34 seconds
Release Date: July 1, 2026

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Hong Kong's First Astronaut Sends Greetings Home | China Space Station

Hong Kong's First Astronaut Sends Greetings Home | China Space Station

Lai Ka-ying, Hong Kong's first astronaut in orbit, sent back a heartfelt video message from China's Tiangong Space Station as the region celebrated the 29th anniversary of its return to the motherland on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. The 44-year-old former Hong Kong police officer lifted off in late May alongside commander Zhu Yangzhu and spacecraft pilot Zhang Zhiyuan on the Shenzhou-23 crewed mission.

With the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) flag displayed behind her, Lai marked the anniversary of the region's return with an address to the camera from inside a module 400 kilometers above the Earth.

"On this momentous day—the 29th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the establishment of the HKSAR—I feel deeply honored to display our regional flag from the national space station, to express heartfelt gratitude to our nation and send my warmest wishes to Hong Kong," she said in a video published by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

Lai, holding a PhD in computer forensics, has made history as the first female payload specialist from the HKSAR to join a national crewed space program. She spoke of the pride that fills each of her daily duties aboard the station.

"The very fact that I can speak to you from space today is living proof of the precious opportunities Hong Kong enjoys under One Country, Two Systems with the backing of the motherland. As the SAR's first astronaut, every day I am here, I am proud to be part of China's space program. I truly see how our nation's drive to become a space power not only pushes human civilization forward but also helps build a better future for all of humanity," said Lai.

"From the bottom of my heart, I wish the HKSAR even greater prosperity and stability, with the care and support of our motherland. Let us join hands and strive together for a brighter tomorrow for our nation and for Hong Kong. Let's keep going!"

According to the CMSA, the Shenzhou-23 crew will conduct more than 100 new science and application projects, focusing on frontier fields such as space life science, materials science, microgravity fluid physics, aerospace medicine and new space technologies.

Shenzhou-23 marks the 40th flight of China's crewed spaceflight program and the seventh crewed flight mission since the Tiangong Space Station entered its application and development phase in late 2022.

Shenzhou-23 Crew
Zhu Yangzhu 朱杨柱, Commander & Flight Engineer (second spaceflight)
Zhang Zhiyuan 张志远, Pilot (first spaceflight)

Lai Ka-ying/Li Jiaying 黎家盈, Payload Specialist (first spaceflight) [Hong Kong SAR]

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute, 27 seconds
Release Date: July 1, 2026

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The Center of Our Galaxy: A 6-gigapixel image | Europe's Euclid Space Telescope

The Center of Our Galaxy: A 6-gigapixel image | Europe's Euclid Space Telescope

Millions of stars. Thousands of hidden worlds. One unprecedented view of our galaxy.

Three years since launch, the European Space Agency's Euclid space telescope reveals the Milky Way galaxy’s center in extraordinary detail: a mosaic of tens of millions of stars captured in just 26 hours.

However, this is more than an image. It is a map of stellar evolution from dark clouds where stars are being born to ancient populations packed into the galactic bulge.

And hidden within this dense field of light are planets we cannot see directly.

Through gravitational microlensing, astronomers detect distant worlds by measuring tiny, temporary changes in light as stars pass in front of one another, revealing planets and even their masses through gravity alone.

Euclid, originally built to explore dark matter and dark energy, is now helping open a new window on our own galaxy, and the unseen worlds within it.

ESA's Euclid Space Telescope:
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Euclid

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)
Duration: 11 minutes
Release Date: July 1, 2026

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