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Is the Milky Way even bigger than we thought? New observations have revealed that our galaxy's spiral arms could stretch farther and wider than we previously concluded.

The Milky Way's spiral structure was discovered over 175 years ago in 1850. But new information could completely change our understanding of our cosmic home. Astronomers have taken a new look at our Milky Way galaxy using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray observatory and the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton observatory and have pieced together new, precise measurements of the galaxy's spiral arms. And what they found is that its spiral arms stretch out farther than we once thought, a discovery that could change our understanding of our galaxy's structure.

"The differences are small, but any revision of these distances is important because they are so fundamental for understanding our galaxy," co-author Ilaria Fornasiero said in a statement . "For example, this could mean that astronomers have to revise estimates of the mass of the galaxy, because that affects how wide the arms stretch."

To make this new galactic measurement, researchers had to get a little creative with the data. They measured these cosmic distances by observing X-ray light scattered by the dust in the Milky Way's arms as it echoed out from around gamma-ray bursts, or the most powerful explosions across the universe that happen either when massive stars collapse or neutron stars collide and merge. These massive bursts of energy are happening far beyond our galaxy, but their X-ray light is so powerful that it can reach and bounce off of dust clouds in the Milky Way's arms.

This artist's concept shows where the Milky Way's spiral arms are now thought to extend to and how that compares to previous estimations. (Image credit: NASA/CXC/SAO/M.Weiss) By studying the diameters of the rings of light as they expand away from these explosions and observing how and where they reflect off of the Milky Way's dust, the team was able to precisely point to where the galaxy's arms extend.

"This is a very direct way – relying only on geometry – to precisely measure distances to the Milky Way's spiral arms," lead author Beatrice Vaia, who led this research as a PhD student, said in the statement. "Most other methods rely on assumptions about how the Milky Way rotates, which become increasingly uncertain in the outer regions of our galaxy."

The team used the X-ray light from three different gamma-ray bursts to look at three of the Milky Way's spiral arms: the Perseus, the Outer, and the Outer-Scutum-Centaurus arms. According to these new measurements, both the Outer and the Outer Scutum-Centaurus arms are about ten percent more distant than was previously thought.

With this data, the team was also able to measure the thickness of the Milky Way's most distant arm, which they found to be about 3,500 light-years wide. By incorporating the arm's width, the team ensured that they were measuring the full extension of the arm and not just one particular dust cloud, further bolstering their findings.

This composite image shows X-ray rings created by a gamma-ray burst bouncing off of the dust clouds in the spiral arms of the Milky Way galaxy. (Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/INAF/B. Vaia et al.; Optical: Pan-STARRS; Image processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N.Wolk & P.Edmonds) While it's interesting that the Milky Way's arms extend out a bit farther and wider than we previously thought, these new findings could have larger implications. Based on these new measurements, astronomers may have to reinvestigate our understanding of our galaxy's mass distribution, rotation and overall structure. This evolving understanding could ripple out and impact how we view not just the structure but the evolution of our galaxy and beyond.

But this study isn't one that can be replicated too easily. That's because gamma-ray bursts don't happen all of the time. Even more rare are bursts that we can see clearly through our galaxy.

"We’re relying on the universe to provide us with these events, and so far, over 25 years, we’ve only found a handful that we can use," co-author Andrea Tiengo of Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS Pavia said in the same statement. "That said, we will continue to be on the lookout for more."

This work was described in a new study published June 19 in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

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Bitcoin Magazine

Polymarket Turns On Instant Bitcoin Deposits Via Lightning Network, Powered by Spark

Polymarket, the crypto-native prediction market, has begun supporting instant Bitcoin deposits over the Lightning Network . The feature uses infrastructure from Spark , a Bitcoin protocol built for payments and stablecoins.

In a post on X, Spark told users they can deposit BTC to the platform with more speed and more privacy than the older method offered.

The move extends a funding push that started in October 2025, when Polymarket switched on standard on-chain Bitcoin deposits. Those deposits carried a wait: most on-chain Bitcoin transactions need three to six confirmations, a window of 10 to 60 minutes, before a platform credits an account.

The on-chain route carried a higher minimum deposit, a reflection of bridging costs. For a trader who wants a position on a live market, both the delay and the fee are a cost.

Lightning and Spark close the gap. Spark validates a Bitcoin transaction at the moment it broadcasts, checking for double-spend risk, fee adequacy, and replace-by-fee flags.

JUST IN: The world's largest predictions market Polymarket now accepts Bitcoin Lightning deposits! pic.twitter.com/CxOObnbyJ2

— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) July 7, 2026

The protocol credits the deposit in under a second and absorbs the confirmation risk, a design Spark markets as zero-conf.

Polymarket does not have to manage confirmation thresholds or run its own Lightning nodes; a single Spark SDK handles on-chain, Lightning, and stablecoin rails.

Spark keeps deposits self-custodial. Each wallet ties to the user’s own keys, so the protocol, not Polymarket, carries the operational load, and users retain control of funds until a trade.

Spark counts wallet providers such as Breez, Xverse, and Cake among the teams building on the same rails, and Tether chief Paolo Ardoino has praised the protocol as a route to programmable Bitcoin over Lightning.

Polymarket’s boom over the years

Timing matters for a company in a growth phase.

Founded in 2020, Polymarket rose to prominence during the 2024 U.S. presidential election and has added Chainlink oracles, earnings markets, and a fresh contest with regulated rival Kalshi.

Faster, cheaper funding lowers the barrier for the Bitcoin holders who make up a large share of the crypto audience, and it hands Polymarket a fresh answer to a rival that has pressed it on volume.

This post Polymarket Turns On Instant Bitcoin Deposits Via Lightning Network, Powered by Spark first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman .

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I was pleasantly surprised to find that going on dates in Moonlight Peaks is more involved than your average farm sim. After you extend an invite, your beau will take you out for a little activity featuring some of Moonlight Peaks' minigames. You're free to date around, too, so don't be stingy with your time. Here's how to start stepping out with all the locals.

How to go on dates in Moonlight Peaks

After reaching four hearts, the "invite" dialogue includes "ask on date." (Image credit: Little Chicken) Reach 4 heart friendship level with a datable townie

Choose "Invite" and "Ask on date" when talking to them

Go to sleep at the end of the night and your date will begin the next night

Listen to your date and play a mini activity to have a successful outing

After finishing a date (even a bad one) your relationship will change to "dating"

You can have a "dating" relationship with multiple people at once

Be careful asking multiple people on a date in the same night! Whoever you asked most recently will pick you up for an outing the following night. The dates seemed to stack in reverse order, so the person I asked first came to get me the second night, though I didn't see a way to track this anywhere. I have no idea what stacking too many dates might do, so perhaps best to avoid that.

How to start a date

Counterintuitively, you need to start a date by going to sleep . You'll ask a townie out by using the "invite" and "ask on date" dialogue interaction after you've reached four hearts with them, but your rendezvous will happen at the very beginning of the night after that. So head to bed and get ready to be picked up promptly at 6pm.

Date rewards

After you earn the "dating" relationship label, the "give" interaction includes a kiss for your partner each day. (Image credit: Little Chicken) Your date will pick the activity to take you on, some of which will reward you more than others. Here's what you can expect:

"Dating" relationship status in your friendship menu

Friendship points awarded for a successful date

Once you're dating, you can kiss your partner each day with the "give" dialogue interaction

Some dates will send you home with a gift, like a custom bouquet when a date takes you to do flower arranging