Description Local Bubble

3d representation of local bubble (white) neighbouring molecular clouds (magenta) , section of loop bubble (cyan).

the solar system has been traveling through region occupied local bubble last 5 ten million years. current location lies in local interstellar cloud (lic), minor region of denser material within bubble. lic formed local bubble , loop bubble met. gas within lic has density of approximately 0.3 atoms per cubic centimeter.

the local bubble not spherical, seems narrower in galactic plane, becoming egg-shaped or elliptical, , may widen above , below galactic plane, becoming shaped hourglass. abuts other bubbles of less dense interstellar medium (ism), including, in particular, loop bubble. loop bubble created supernovae , stellar winds in scorpius–centaurus association, 500 light years sun. loop bubble contains star antares (also known alpha scorpii), shown on diagram above right. several tunnels connect cavities of local bubble loop bubble, called lupus tunnel . other bubbles adjacent local bubble loop ii bubble , loop iii bubble.