The 3D motion of the Interstellar Medium with ESO and ESA telescopes

The newly emerging theory regarding the structural organisation of a local ring of stars in the Milky Way known as Gould’s Belt is that local star-forming regions are connected by lower-density gas. Specifically, these regions are part of a new organisational unit comprising undulating, coherent and linear galactic-scale gas structures. However, little is known about where these structures originate and how they allow star-forming regions to take shape and disperse inside them. The ERC-funded ISM-FLOW project will answer these questions in order to enable us to observe Milky Way gas flow in 3D motion for the first time. Project work will provide crucial information about the past and future path of the gas in the galaxy.