Using deep X-ray observations from ESA’s XMM-Newton Observatory, astronomers have discovered that Milky Way’s halo — a large cloud of ionized plasma surrounding the Galaxy — has a temperature of 10 million degrees Kelvin (about 18 million degrees Fahrenheit) — about 10 times hotter than previously estimated. Our Milky Way Galaxy is surrounded by an enormous halo of plasma (seen in blue in this artists’ rendition). Image credit:...
