Wide-field view of the centre of the Milky Way
This visible light wide-field view shows the rich star clouds in the constellation of Sagittarius (the Archer) in the direction of the centre of our Milky Way galaxy. The entire image is filled with vast numbers of stars — but far more remain hidden behind clouds of dust and are only revealed in infrared images. This view was created from photographs in red and blue light and form part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2. The field of view is approximately 3.5 degrees x 3.6 degrees.
Credit:ESO and Digitized Sky Survey 2. Acknowledgment: Davide De Martin and S. Guisard (www.eso.org/~sguisard)
About the Image
| Id: | eso0949l |
| Type: | Observation |
| Release date: | 11 December 2009, 11:30 |
| Related releases: | eso2406, eso2212, eso2208-eht-mw, eso2119, eso2006, eso1835, eso1636, eso0949, eso0921 |
| Size: | 12670 x 12954 px |
About the Object
| Name: | Milky Way Galactic Centre |
| Type: | Milky Way : Galaxy : Component : Center/Core |
| Distance: | 25000 light years |
| Constellation: | Sagittarius |
| Category: | Stars |
Image Formats
Coordinates
| Position (RA): | 17 45 6.75 |
| Position (Dec): | -28° 49' 49.34" |
| Field of view: | 212.91 x 217.68 arcminutes |
| Orientation: | North is 1.4° right of vertical |
View in WorldWide Telescope:
Colours & filters
| Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
|---|---|---|
| Optical B |
Other
N/A | |
| Optical I | 775 nm | Digitized Sky Survey 2 N/A |
| Optical R | 675 nm | Digitized Sky Survey 2 N/A |
| Optical I | 675 nm | Digitized Sky Survey 2 N/A |
| Optical G |
Other
N/A | |
| Optical R | 675 nm | Digitized Sky Survey 2 N/A |
| Optical R |
Other
N/A |