Astronomers have published the most detailed infrared map of the Milky Way. With over 200,000 images taken by ESO‘s VISTA telescope, this map is a breakthrough that gives astronomers new insight into our galaxy.
The telescope, located in Chile, is used to map large portions of the sky. Thanks to its infrared camera, VIRCAM, which can see through the Milky Way's dust and gas, astronomers can see into hidden areas.
“We made so many discoveries, we have changed the view of our Galaxy forever,” says Dante Minniti, an astrophysicist at Universidad Andrés Bello in Chile who led the overall project.
The team previously released a Milky Way map in 2012, but this new version includes about 10 times the amount of objects. From 2010 to 2023, VISTA recorded 420 nights of observations. This allowed the team to not only locate objects, but to chart how they move across the sky and how their brightness changes.
The survey has made such a big impact that it has already generated more than 300 scientific articles. It's expected that the work will be studied for years to come, as it offers unparalleled views of the Milky Way. Though the dataset is too large to release in a single image, anyone who is curious can access the catalog via the ESO Science Portal.
Astronomers have created the most detailed infrared map of the Milky Way ever released.
It contains over 200,000 images taken by ESO's VISTA telescope over the course of 13 years.
The infrared camera sees through the Milky Way's dust and gas, giving insight into hidden areas of our galaxy.
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My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by the ESO.
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