Using data from the eROSITA All-Sky Survey, astronomers have created a 3D map of the low-density bubble of X-ray-emitting, million-degree hot gas that surrounds the solar system.
The investigation has revealed a large-scale temperature gradient within this bubble, called the Local Hot Bubble (LHB), meaning it contains both hot and cold spots. The team suspects that this temperature gradient may have been caused by exploding massive stars detonating in supernovas, causing the bubble to be reheated. This reheating would cause the pocket of low-density gas to expand.
The researchers also found what seems to be an "interstellar tunnel," a channel between stars directed towards the constellation Centaurus. This tunnel may link the solar system's home bubble with a neighboring superbubble and could have been carved out by erupting young stars and powerful and high-speed stellar winds.