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This is one of the most detailed Milky Way galaxy maps yet
This is one of the most detailed Milky Way galaxy maps yet
Sarah KramerFeb 25, 2016, 04:09 IST
Today astronomers from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) released the most complete and detailed views of the Milky Way galaxy to date - at least as seen from the Southern Hemisphere.
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The countless stitched-together photos provide a stunning new look at our galactic home.
These sub-millimeter wavelengths reveal clouds of gas that would otherwise be obscured by dust or water vapor.
ESO
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Several "star nurseries" or nebulas - where stars are formed - show up crisp and clear in the new images.
A color composite reveals how an expanding bubble of ionised gas about ten light-years across is causing the surrounding material to collapse into dense clumps where new stars are then formed.ESO/APEX
Mapping the southern skies is very important: That's where the Milky Way's center is located, and it's simultaneously buzzing with activity and objects (including a supermassive black hole) yet dense and hard to peer into.
The new images cut through some of this celestial fog, and should help astronomers learn more about the heart of the galaxy we call home.
Sub-millimeter wavelengths from APEX show up in red and the background blue image was imaged at shorter infrared wavelengths by the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope as part of the GLIMPSE survey. The fainter extended red structures come from complementary observations made by ESA's Planck satellite.ESO
