Menu

Topics

Connect

Comments

Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.

Check out the most spectacular in-depth image of the Milky Way you’ve seen yet

This image is a combination of images by the APEX telescope as well as NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and the ESA's Planck satellite. ESO/APEX/ATLASGAL consortium/NASA/GLIMPSE consortium/ESA/Planck

It’s an unprecedented view into the heart of our galaxy.

Story continues below advertisement

The European Southern Observatory released an image taken by APEX (the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment) telescope that provides an amazing glimpse into the southern regions of the Milky Way. (A zoomable image can be seen here. And you will want to check it out. You’ll get lost in it.).

READ MORE: Astronomers discover hundreds of hidden galaxies behind Milky Way

Much of the image contains star-forming regions of gas and dust. Some of these stars will one day host planets — but not any time soon.

Peering into the Milky Way. ESO/APEX/ATLASGAL consortium/NASA/GLIMPSE consortium/ESA/Planck

The data from APEX was combined with the European Space Agency’s Planck satellite to provide an image that is four times better than anything we’ve ever seen and is part of the ATLASGAL (APEX Telescope Large Area survey of the Galaxy).

Story continues below advertisement
The heart of the southern Milky Way. ESO/APEX/ATLASGAL consortium/NASA/GLIMPSE consortium/ESA/Planck

Obviously, this isn’t what we see in the night sky. The image was produced using data from satellites that see in different wavelengths. For APEX, it’s using something called submillimetre astronomy.

“Submillimetre astronomy is a relatively unexplored frontier in astronomy and reveals a Universe that cannot be seen in the more familiar visible or infrared light,” ESO’s website explains. “It is ideal for studying the “cold Universe”: light at these wavelengths shines from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero.”

Story continues below advertisement

The telescope is able to peer through the dust and gas that might otherwise hide star-forming regions.

You can also check out ESO’s video (below) as it travels the length of the image.

Advertisement

You are viewing an Accelerated Mobile Webpage.

View Original Article