\u201cIt\u2019s a place of extremes, invisible to our eyes, but now revealed in extraordinary detail,\u201d says Ashley Barnes, astronomer at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Germany.<\/p>\n
![\"This](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/distribution-of-different-molecules-569x1024.jpg\"\/)
This montage shows the distribution of different molecules in the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of the Milky Way. The observations were made with the Atacama Large Millimeter\/submillimeter Array (ALMA) as part of the ALMA CMZ Exploration Survey (ACES). ACES has mapped the distribution of several dozen molecules at the center of our galaxy. Five of these molecules are shown here, from top to bottom: carbon monosulfide, isocyanic acid, silicon monoxide, sulfur monoxide, and cyanoacetylene. Credit: ALMA (ESO\/NAOJ\/NRAO) \/ S. Longmore et al.<\/p>\n
The region, known as the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), spans more than 650 light-years. It\u2019s a chaotic environment packed with dense clouds of gas and dust, and it\u2019s the only galactic nucleus<\/a> close enough to Earth for us to study in such fine detail. The dataset reveals structures ranging from vast filaments dozens of light-years long down to tiny gas clouds surrounding individual stars.<\/p>\n The survey, called ACES (ALMA CMZ Exploration Survey), focuses on cold molecular gas. This gas contains dozens of molecules such as simple silicon monoxide, complex organics such as methanol, acetone, and ethanol, etc. These molecules flow along filaments, feeding clumps of matter where stars can ignite.<\/p>\n The CMZ is home to some of the most massive stars in the Milky Way.<\/p>\n Credit: \u201cThe CMZ hosts some of the most massive stars<\/a> known in our galaxy, many of which live fast and die young, ending their lives in powerful supernova explosions, and even hypernovae,\u201d explains Steve Longmore, ACES leader and professor of astrophysics at Liverpool John Moores University, UK.<\/p>\n By studying star birth in this extreme environment, astronomers hope to test whether our theories of star formation hold under such chaotic conditions.<\/p>\n \u201cBy studying how stars are born in the CMZ, we can also gain a clearer picture of how galaxies grew and evolved,\u201d Longmore adds. \u201cWe believe the region shares many features with galaxies in the early Universe<\/a>, where stars were forming in chaotic, extreme environments.\u201d<\/p>\n The team anticipated detail, but the final image exceeded expectations. \u201cWe anticipated a high level of detail when designing the survey, but we were genuinely surprised by the complexity and richness revealed in the final mosaic,\u201d says Katharina Immer, ALMA astronomer at ESO.<\/p>\n And this is only the beginning. \u201cThe upcoming ALMA Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade, along with ESO\u2019s Extremely Large Telescope, will soon allow us to push even deeper into this region, resolving finer structures, tracing more complex chemistry, and exploring the interplay between stars, gas, and black holes with unprecedented clarity,\u201d says Barnes.<\/p>\n This new image of the Milky Way\u2019s center<\/a> isn\u2019t just a pretty picture; it\u2019s like looking back in time. By studying the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), scientists can learn how galaxies like ours grew in their early days, when stars formed quickly and under very extreme conditions.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a reminder that even in the most hidden corners of the universe, stories are waiting to be told, stories written in gas, dust, and starlight, now revealed in dazzling detail.<\/p>\n This research was presented in a series of papers presenting the ACES data, to appear in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society:<\/p>\n Paper I \u2013 ALMA Central Molecular Zone Exploration Survey (ACES) I: Overview paper https:\/\/arxiv.org\/abs\/2602.20340<\/a><\/p>\n Paper II \u2013 ALMA Central Molecular Zone Exploration Survey (ACES) II: 3mm continuum images https:\/\/arxiv.org\/abs\/2602.20240<\/a><\/p>\n Paper III \u2013 ALMA Central Molecular Zone Exploration Survey (ACES) III: Molecular line data reduction and HNCO & HCO+ data https:\/\/arxiv.org\/abs\/2602.20276<\/a><\/p>\n Paper IV \u2013 ALMA Central Molecular Zone Exploration Survey (ACES) IV: Data of the two intermediate-width spectral windows https:\/\/arxiv.org\/abs\/2602.20445<\/a><\/p>\n Paper V \u2013 ALMA Central Molecular Zone Exploration Survey (ACES) V: CS(2-1), SO 2_3-1_2, CH3CHO 5_(1,4)-4_(1,3), HC3N(11-10) and H40A lines data<\/p>\n![\"This](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Central-Molecular-Zone-1024x586.jpg\"\/)
This image shows the location of the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), a region at the core of our galaxy rich in dense and intricate gas clouds. This zone has been mapped with the Atacama Large Millimeter\/submillimeter Array (ALMA), as part of the ALMA CMZ Exploration Survey or ACES. The inset is an ACES image where different molecules are displayed in different colours. The entire image \u2013 the largest ever made with ALMA \u2013 is as long as three full Moons side-by-side in the sky.<\/p>\n
ALMA(ESO\/NAOJ\/NRAO)\/S. Longmore et al. Stars in inset: ESO\/D. Minniti et al. Milky Way: ESO\/S. Guisard<\/p>\n