Extending the Magellanic Stream: A Hidden Ionized Trail Across the Galactic Plane

Bo-Eun Choi and collaborators discovered a highly ionized northern extension of the Magellanic Stream using Hubble’s ultraviolet observations. The new region, traced mainly by C IV absorption, extends about 60° beyond the known Stream and shows similar velocity and ionization patterns. Modeling suggests collisional ionization at around 10⁵ K, adding up to 60% more ionized mass and offering new clues to the Magellanic Clouds’ recent orbital history.