Space

Video: Zoom into the Large Sagittarius Star Cloud

The European Southern Observatory (ESO) released an awesome photo and video today (February 13, 2013) of the Large Sagittarius Star Cloud, which is located toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy. You can see the Sagittarius Star Cloud with your eye alone on a dark night in northern summer. The ESO video starts with a view of the spectacular Milky Way, our home galaxy in space. As we zoom in towards the center we see the star cloud …

In the midst of this cloud, there are many smaller features. One is the bright star cluster NGC 6520 and a much smaller dark feature called Barnard 86 – a place where new stars are forming. See them in the video, and also in the photo below.

ESO’s MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile acquired these images.

The bright cluster is NGC 6520 and the dark area next to it is called Barnard 86. Both are located in the midst of the Large Sagittarius Star Cloud, in the direction toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy. View larger.

Bottom line: ESO video of the Large Sagittarius Star Cloud shows star clusters and star-forming regions in space.

Sagittarius? Here’s your constellation

Posted 
February 13, 2013
 in 
Space

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