Our galaxy, like you’ve never seen it before

[TexasTowelie]

Artist’s impression shows how the Milky Way galaxy would look seen from almost edge on.
(ESO/NASA/JPL-Caltech/M. Kornmesser/R. Hurt)

We don’t have the best view of the center of our galaxy from Earth.

It’s some 27,000 light years away, and shrouded by thick clouds of gas and dust. To get around the dust astronomers must observe light at longer wavelengths, principally in the infrared, that is not scattered by dust articles. With a longer wavelength that visible light, infrared light is used for a variety of purposes on Earth, including night vision.

Now two teams of astronomers using telescopes at the European Southern Observatory in Chile have been able to get a much better look at the bulge of stars at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, enough to make a three-dimensional map of its structure.

And lo and behold, it looks like a large peanut. An artist’s concept of what our galaxy would look like from an observer outside it is below.

More at http://blog.chron.com/sciguy/2013/09/our-galaxy-like-youve-never-seen-it-before/?cmpid=hpts .

[Scuba]

1. Cool, thanks for posting Towelie.

[TexasTowelie]

3. You're welcome.

It definitely ranks on the neat-o scale.

[Little Star]

2. Nice!

[frogmarch]

4. Stunning!

Thank you for posting the picture!

Now to follow your link.

(It would be cool if someone would add a "You Are Here" arrow to the photo so I'd know where we are.)

[TexasTowelie]

5. You're welcome.

They should probably post signs as to where the bathrooms are located and exit signs (due to teabagger emergency alerts) also.

[frogmarch]

6. Yes! hahaha!

[Warren DeMontague]

7. Here's something like that:

I'd also trust the national geographic people to get it more or less right:

[frogmarch]

8. That's the best one I've seen!

It appears that the first one is an enlargement of the second one.

Awesome! (and I really mean that!) Thanks for posting the pictures!