NASA astronomers have used the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) to spot a glow of high-energy X-rays emanating from the heart of the Milky Way galaxy. The origin of the mysterious glow is unknown, with scientists speculating that it may be caused by dead stars as they draw material from their stellar partners.

The new observations would not have been possible without the NuSTAR array, which is the first orbiting telescope designed to collect light in the high energy X-ray region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The glow in question was emitted from a region some 40 light-years across, located around the supermassive black hole at the core of our home galaxy.

The origin of the unexpected haze of high-energy X-rays observed in the region is puzzling astronomers, with numerous explanations being put forward.