Space · Video

Using Infrared to Survey Our Galaxy’s Far Side (SVS14521 Galactic Plane Infrared good).webm

Observatories with smaller views of space have provided exquisite images of other galaxies, revealing complex structures. But studying our own galaxy’s anatomy is surprisingly difficult. The plane of the Milky Way covers such a large area on the sky that studying it in detail can take a very long time. Astronomers also must peer through thick dust that obscures distant starlight. Infrared light can pass through that dust and is a key tool for learning about the far side of our galaxy.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: "Time Shift Equalibrium" from Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available.

Author

NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio - KBR Wyle Services, LLC/Scott Wiessinger, ADNET Systems, Inc./Ashley Balzer

Attribution

Using Infrared to Survey Our Galaxy’s Far Side

License

Public domain

Source

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Using_Infrared_to_Survey_Our_Galaxy%E2%80%99s_Far_Side_(SVS14521_Galactic_Plane_Infrared_good).webm