APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.


The Annotated Galactic Center
Explanation: The sky toward the center of our Galaxy is filled with a wide variety of celestial wonders , many of which are visible from a dark location with common binoculars . Constellations near the Galactic Center include Sagittarius , Libra , Scorpius , Scutum , and Ophiuchus . Nebulas include Messier objects M8 , M16 , M20 , as well as the Pipe and Cat's Paw nebulas. Visible open star clusters include M6 , M7 , M21 , M23 , M24 , and M25 , while globular star cluster M22 is also visible. A hole in the dust toward the Galactic Center reveals a bright region filled with distant stars known as Baade's Window , which is visible between M7 and M8 . Moving your cursor over the above image the will bring up an un-annotated version.
| Date | August 31, 2010 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Credit & Copyright: Jaime Fernandez |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |


