Artist's illustration of the present Milky Way
This graphic of today's Milky Way was based on an all-sky image from Axel Mellinger and the Finkbeiner all-sky H-alpha survey.
The current night sky is dominated by the white glow of myriad middle-aged stars along the lane of the Milky Way. Interstellar "pollution" from thick dust lanes can be seen threading through the long band of stars. They are interspersed with a few pinkish emission nebulae from ongoing star formation. Thousands of stars appear as pinpricks of light throughout the sky.
Link:
- NASA Press release
- Tracing the growth of Milky Way-like galaxies
- The present and early Milky Way (artist’s illustration)
- Artist's Illustration of the early Milky Way
NASA, ESA, and Z. Levay (STScI/AURA)
