Scientists Discover Interstellar Tunnel Beginning Around Solar System - No One Knows Where It Leads

El Adelantado News

Astronomers believe they’ve uncovered what could be an “interstellar tunnel” in our cosmic backyard —one that might serve as a bridge to other star systems.

According to a recent study in Astronomy & Astrophysics, this tunnel is part of a massive structure of hot gas that stretches hundreds of light-years across, wrapping around our solar system like a cosmic cocoon. This vast region, known as the Local Hot Bubble, has been studied for years, but new research suggests it might not be an isolated pocket. Scientists think it could be linked to an even bigger bubble nearby —potentially forming a network of interstellar pathways.

Mapping the cosmic bubble: A Surprise Tunnel to centaurus

Scientists used data from the eROSITA telescope, the first X-ray observatory operating entirely outside Earth’s atmosphere, to create a 3D map of the Local Hot Bubble (LHB). While some of its features matched what astronomers expected, the map also revealed some unexpected surprises.

One of the biggest discoveries was a mysterious “interstellar tunnel” leading toward the Centaurus constellation. According to Michael Freyberg, an astronomer at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, this tunnel cuts through cooler interstellar material, creating an opening scientists hadn’t noticed before.

Freyberg explained that this region became much more visible thanks to eROSITA’s improved sensitivity and a completely new way of scanning the sky compared to its predecessor, ROSAT. In other words, the upgraded telescope didn’t just confirm what scientists already knew —it uncovered a hidden cosmic passageway.

Living in a Cosmic Bubble

The idea of the Local Hot Bubble (LHB)—often just called the Local Bubble—was first proposed more than 50 years ago as a way to explain why X-ray radiation from space was reaching us when, in theory, it shouldn’t.

Normally, the vast space between star systems is filled with gas and dust clouds, known as the interstellar medium—the raw material that eventually forms new stars. This cosmic dust acts like a filter, absorbing low-energy X-rays before they can travel very far. So astronomers were left scratching their heads: why were these X-rays getting through?

The answer? We’re living in a giant empty bubble. Scientists believe that around 14 million years ago, a series of supernova explosions—the dramatic deaths of massive stars—swept away most of the interstellar material around us. What was left behind was a vast, mostly empty cavity about 1,000 light-years across —our Local Bubble.

As proof, we can still spot the remnants of those ancient supernovas today. So, while it might sound like we’re living in an interstellar safe zone, it turns out our solar system is actually floating in the aftermath of some seriously explosive cosmic history!

The theory of the Local Bubble hasn’t always had smooth sailing. A few decades ago, scientists realized that X-ray emissions similar to those linked to the bubble could actually be produced by the interaction between the Sun’s solar winds and Earth’s outer atmosphere. This raised doubts about whether the bubble was real or just a clever illusion.

However, more recent observations have strengthened the case for its existence. Scientists have spotted clusters of young stars forming right along the bubble’s outer edge, suggesting that as the expanding bubble pushed out interstellar material, it triggered new star formation.

Just the beginning: A galactic superhighway?

Scientists believe this interstellar tunnel could be just one piece of a much larger network of cosmic pathways stretching across the Milky Way—all shaped by the energy released when massive stars explode. Instead of an isolated bubble, we might be looking at a system of interconnected cavities formed by powerful supernova blasts over millions of years.

The latest 3D models of the Local Bubble also revealed something interesting —a temperature difference across the structure. The northern part appears to be noticeably hotter than the southern region, which hints at some recent cosmic fireworks.

This suggests that supernovas may have continued shaping and expanding the bubble far more recently than we thought—possibly in the last few million years. So, rather than a static shell left behind ages ago, the Local Bubble could still be evolving.