Galactic Center, Milky Way
by Science Source
Title
Galactic Center, Milky Way
Artist
Science Source
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
The center of our Milky Way Galaxy is located in the constellation of Sagittarius. In visible light the lion's share of stars are hidden behind thick clouds of dust. This obscuring dust becomes increasingly transparent at infrared wavelengths. This 2MASS image, covering a field roughly 10 x 8 degrees (about the area of your fist held out at arm's length) reveals multitudes of otherwise hidden stars, penetrating all the way to the central star cluster of the Galaxy. This central core, seen in the upper left portion of the image, is about 25,000 light years away and is thought to harbor a supermassive black hole. The reddening of the stars here and along the Galactic Plane is due to scattering by the dust; it is the same process by which the sun appears to redden as it sets. The densest fields of dust still show up in this mosaic. Also evident are several nebulae to the lower right, including the Cat's Paw Nebula. The 2MASS analysis software has identified and measured the properties of almost 10 million stars in this spectacular field alone.
Uploaded
December 2nd, 2015
Statistics
Viewed 1,007 Times - Last Visitor from Norwalk, CT on 04/17/2024 at 9:43 AM
Embed
Share
Sales Sheet
Comments
There are no comments for Galactic Center, Milky Way. Click here to post the first comment.