A GLIMPSE of the Milky Way

Spitzer_sig05-025_1024

spitzer_sig05-025 December 12th, 2005

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/E. Churchwell (University of Wisconsin-Madison) and the GLIMPSE Team

In visible light, the bulk of our Milky Way galaxy's stars are eclipsed behind thick clouds of galactic dust and gas. But to the infrared eyes of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, distant stars and dust clouds shine with unparalleled clarity and color.

In this panoramic image (center row) from the Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire (GLIMPSE) project, a plethora of stellar activity in the Milky Way's galactic plane, reaching to the far side of our galaxy, is exposed. This image spans 9 degrees of sky (approximately the width of a fist held out at arm's length).

The red clouds indicate the presence of large organic molecules (mixed with the dust), which have been illuminated by nearby star formation. The patches of black are dense obscuring dust clouds impenetrable by even Spitzer's super-sensitive infrared eyes. Bright arcs of white throughout the image are massive stellar incubators.

With over 160 megapixels, the full detail in this panorama cannot be appreciated without zooming in to various areas of interest (top and bottom rows). Bubbles, or holes, in the red clouds are formed by the powerful outflows from massive groups of forming stars. Wisps of green indicate the presence of hot hydrogen gas. Star clusters can also be seen as the groupings of blue, yellow, and green specks inside some of the red nebulae, or star-forming clouds. In contrast to the plentiful examples of stellar youth in this montage, Spitzer also sees an object called a planetary nebula (top row, middle). Such nebulae are the final gasp of dying stars like our sun, whose outer layers are blown into space, leaving a burnt -out core of a star, called a white dwarf, behind.

Although this panoramic image captures a large range of the galaxy, it represents only 7.5 percent of the primary GLIMPSE survey, which will image most of the star formation regions in our galaxy.

The infrared images were captured with the Spitzer's Infrared Array Camera (IRAC). The pictures are 4-channel composites, showing emission from wavelengths of 3.6 microns (blue), 4.5 microns (green), 5.8 microns (orange), and 8.0 microns (red).

Provider: Spitzer Space Telescope

Image Source: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/2407-sig05-025-A-GLIMPSE-of-the-Milky-Way

Curator: Spitzer Space Telescope, Pasadena, CA, USA

Image Use Policy: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/info/18-Image-Use-Policy

View Options

Image Details

Image Type
Observation
Object Name
Galactic Plane Milky Way
Subject - Milky Way
Galaxy > Type > Spiral

Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Blue Spitzer (IRAC) Infrared (Near-IR) 3.6 µm
Green Spitzer (IRAC) Infrared (Near-IR) 4.5 µm
Orange Spitzer (IRAC) Infrared (Mid-IR) 5.8 µm
Red Spitzer (IRAC) Infrared (Mid-IR) 8.0 µm
Spectrum_base
Blue
Green
Orange
Red
Spitzer_sig05-025_1280
×
ID
sig05-025
Subject Category
B.5.1.1.  
Subject Name
Galactic Plane, Milky Way
Credits
NASA/JPL-Caltech/E. Churchwell (University of Wisconsin-Madison) and the GLIMPSE Team
Release Date
2005-12-12
Lightyears
Redshift
Reference Url
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/2407-sig05-025-A-GLIMPSE-of-the-Milky-Way
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Good
Distance Notes
Facility
Spitzer, Spitzer, Spitzer, Spitzer
Instrument
IRAC, IRAC, IRAC, IRAC
Color Assignment
Blue, Green, Orange, Red
Band
Infrared, Infrared, Infrared, Infrared
Bandpass
Near-IR, Near-IR, Mid-IR, Mid-IR
Central Wavelength
3600, 4500, 5800, 8000
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
Equinox
Reference Value
Reference Dimension
Reference Pixel
Scale
Rotation
Coordinate System Projection:
Quality
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
Spitzer Space Telescope
URL
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu
Name
Spitzer Space Telescope
Email
Telephone
Address
1200 E. California Blvd.
City
Pasadena
State/Province
CA
Postal Code
91125
Country
USA
Rights
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/info/18-Image-Use-Policy
Publisher
Spitzer Science Center
Publisher ID
spitzer
Resource ID
sig05-025.tif
Metadata Date
2012-10-11
Metadata Version
1.1
×

 

Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

×

There is no distance meta data in this image.

 

Providers | Sign In