APOD: The Galactic Center in Infrared (2021 Apr 19)

[APOD Robot]

The Galactic Center in Infrared

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 [url=https://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/news/ss ... tic-center" >found capable</a> of forming <a href="http://www.universetoday.com/2009/06/10 ... ways-core/]newborn stars[/url]. The galactic center lies some 26,700 light-years away, toward the constellation Sagittarius. At that distance, this picture spans about 900 light-years.

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[RocketRon]

Starry starry night - in infrared.
And with your magnifying glasses on also ...

And the approx location of the black hole ?

[Ann]

The Galactic Center in Infrared Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Spitzer Space Telescope, Susan Stolovy (SSC/Caltech) et al.; Reprocessing: Judy Schmidt

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Hubble-Spitzer Color Mosaic of the Galactic Center. Hubble image: NASA, ESA, and Q.D. Wang (University of Massachusetts, Amherst); Spitzer image: NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and S. Stolovy (Spitzer Science Center/Caltech).

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Great processing as always, Geck.

The Spitzer image is extremely interesting, and it shows us details that would be completely hidden to a visual-light image. Another good thing about the Spitzer image is that it is nicely widefield. I can't help it though, my favorite portrait of the Galactic center is the image I posted at right.

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Here is an annotated version of the Hubble/Spitzer portrait of the Galactic center.

Ann

[Knight of Clear Skies]

This is my favourite image of the galactic core, from MeerKAT.

Click to view full size image

[Iksarfighter]

Hello,
Is the dense light in the center the whole bulb ?
TY

[Ann]

Hello,
Is the dense light in the center the whole bulb ?
TY

The dense light in the center is stars and dust in the vicinity of the central black hole. Our Galaxy's supermassive black hole is in there.

Ann

[orin stepanek]

At that distance, this picture spans about 900 light-years.

I was awed by how many stars appered and was passed as the
camera panned toward the galactic center! Shows that you look
in one direction the stars you see are only the closer and or the
larger ones! The universe is a wonderful thing!

[johnnydeep]

What's amazing to me about images like this is how small the moon still appears in comparison. 890 x 640 ly at 26000 ly works out to be 1.96 x 1.41 degrees, which is about 4 full moons x 3 full moons!

[Ann]

At that distance, this picture spans about 900 light-years.

Click to view full size image

Adorable kitty! I didn't even click on that link!

Ann

[WWW]

At that distance, this picture spans about 900 light-years.

Click to view full size image

Adorable kitty! I didn't even click on that link!

Ann

Ok, So it spans 900 in light years, so what's that in cat years?



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