AFP Forum

SPACE - GALAXY - STARS
This NASA Spitzer Space Telescope handout image obtained August 10, 2009 shows the center of our Milky Way Galaxy hidden from the prying eyes of optical telescopes by clouds of obscuring dust and gas. But, in this stunning vista, the Spitzer Space Telescope's infrared cameras penetrate much of the dust, revealing the stars of the crowded galactic center region. A mosaic of many smaller snapshots, this detailed, false-color image shows older, cool stars in bluish hues. Reddish glowing dust clouds are associated with young, hot stars in stellar nurseries. The galactic center lies some 26,000 light-years away, toward the constellation Sagittarius. At that distance, this picture spans about 900 light-years. AFP PHOTO/NASA/JPL-CALTECH/SUSAN STOLOVY/RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE
HO / NASA / AFP