Milky Way's Enigmatic Loop Is a Nearby Bubble, Not a Galactic Center Relic
Astronomers conclude the Milky Way's so‑called Galactic Center Lobe is not at the center but a nearby, closed gas bubble about 6,520 light‑years away and roughly 115 light‑years across. Using SDSS‑V Local Volume Mapper data and ionized sulfur to see through dust, they show the feature is a foreground structure likely carved by past generations of massive stars and suggest renaming it the 'greatly confused loop' (Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2026).