Fisheye View of the Milky Way
October 29, 2004
Provided by: Philippe Moussette
Summary authors & editors: Jim Foster; Philippe Moussette
The photo above showing a fisheye view of the Milky Way, our home galaxy, was captured on an especially clear night (August 19, 2004) from Port Au saumon, Québec, Canada. A dark location, away from urban light pollution, is required in order to discern the milky shoal of stars that form the central core of our galaxy. The Milky Way spans about 100,000 light years and contains more than 250 billion stars. Our solar system is located approximately 28,000 light years from the galactic center. When we gaze upon the Milky Way on a summer or autumnal night, we're essentially looking at it "edgewise." On the picture above, the darkened patches within the Milky Way are clouds of dust and gas, which effectively obscure the light from more distant stars from reaching us.
Photo details: Canon Digital Rebel 300D camera, 1600 ASA, exposed 5 minutes.
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