Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 April 19
The Galactic Center in Infrared
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Spitzer Space Telescope, Susan Stolovy
(SSC/Caltech) et al.; Reprocessing: Judy Schmidt
Explanation: What does the center of our galaxy look like? In visible
light, the Milky Way's center is hidden by clouds of obscuring dust and
gas. But in this stunning vista, the Spitzer Space Telescope's infrared
cameras, penetrate much of the dust revealing the stars of the crowded
galactic center region. A mosaic of many smaller snapshots, the
detailed, false-color image shows older, cool stars in bluish hues. Red
and brown glowing dust clouds are associated with young, hot stars in
stellar nurseries. The very center of the Milky Way has recently been
found capable of forming newborn stars. The galactic center lies some
26,700 light-years away, toward the constellation Sagittarius. At that
distance, this picture spans about 900 light-years.
Tomorrow's picture: destroyed by a black hole
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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