With this map, we can really start to probe the influences of magnetic fields on star formation in superbubbles," says Goodman. "And for that matter, get a better grasp on how these fields influence numerous other cosmic phenomena."
Because magnetic fields only affect the movement and orientation of charged particles in astrophysical environments, Goodman says there has been a tendency to set aside the fields' influence when building simulations and theories where gravity—which acts on all matter—is the primary force at play. Further discouraging its inclusion, magnetism can be a fiendishly complex force to model.
This omission of magnetic fields' influence, while understandable, often leaves out a key factor controlling motions of gas in the universe. These motions include gas flowing onto stars as they form, and flowing away from stars in powerful jets emanating from them as they gather matter into a planet-forming disk. Even if the effect of magnetic fields is miniscule from moment-to-moment in the low-density environments where stars form, given the millions-of-year timescales it takes to gather gas and turn it into stars, magnetic effects can plausibly add up to something substantial over time.