3D maps suggest much of the interstellar medium is unstable

Perri Thaler reports for Quanta Magazine that 3D maps stretching thousands of light-years suggest much of the interstellar medium is unstable. That picture challenges an older model in which atomic gas quickly settles into stable cold or warm states. Gaia’s 3D map of nearby stars has opened new ways to study the material between stars, and the findings could help researchers investigate how quickly stars form.