Suggested Searches

 

1 min read

Views of the Galactic Center Region from NASA’s Great Observatories

Views of the Galactic Center Region from NASA's Great Observatories

In celebration of the International Year of Astronomy 2009, NASA's Great Observatories – the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory – have collaborated to produce an unprecedented image of the central region of our Milky Way galaxy.

[Top Frame] – The spectacular composite image combines observations using infrared light and X-ray light that see through the obscuring dust and reveal the intense activity near the galactic core. Note that the center of the galaxy is located within the bright white region on the lower right-hand side of the image. Each telescope's contribution is presented in a different color. Yellow represents the near-infrared observations of Hubble. Red represents the infrared observations of Spitzer. Blue and violet represent the X-ray observations of Chandra.

[Bottom Left Frame] – Spitzer's infrared-light observations provide a detailed and spectacular view of the galactic center region. The swirling core of our galaxy harbors hundreds of thousands of stars that cannot be seen in visible light. These stars heat the nearby gas and dust. These dusty clouds glow in infrared light and reveal their often dramatic shapes. Some of these clouds harbor stellar nurseries that are forming new generations of stars. Like the downtown of a large city, the center of our galaxy is a crowded, active, and vibrant place.

[Bottom Middle Frame] – Although best known for its visible-light images, Hubble also observes over a limited range of infrared light. The galactic center is marked by the bright patch in the lower right. Along the left side are large arcs of warm gas that have been heated by clusters of bright massive stars. In addition, Hubble uncovered many more massive stars across the region. Winds and radiation from these stars create the complex structures seen in the gas throughout the image. This sweeping panorama is one of the sharpest infrared pictures ever made of the galactic center region.

[Bottom Right Frame] – X-rays detected by Chandra expose a wealth of exotic objects and high-energy features. In this image, pink represents lower energy X-rays and blue indicates higher energy. Hundreds of small dots show emission from material around black holes and other dense stellar objects. A supermassive black hole – some four million times more massive than the Sun – resides within the bright region in the lower right. The diffuse X-ray light comes from gas heated to millions of degrees by outflows from the supermassive black hole, winds from giant stars, and stellar explosions. This central region is the most energetic place in our galaxy.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    17h 45m 36.0s
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    -28° 55' 58.8"
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Sagittarius
  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    26,000 light-years (8 kiloparsecs)
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    The composite image of the galactic center is 32.5 arcminutes (246 light-years or 75.5 parsecs) wide.

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.
    Spitzer Data (bottom-left): The Spitzer Space Telescope data were courtesy of NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and S. Stolovy (Spitzer Science Center/California Institute of Technology). Hubble Data (bottom-center): The Hubble component was from the HST proposal 11120: Q.D. Wang (University of Massachusetts, Amherst), S. Stolovy (Caltech), C. Lang (University of Iowa), A. Cotera (SETI Institute), M. Muno (Caltech), M. Morris (University of California, Los Angeles), D. Calzetti (University of Massachusetts, Amherst), S. Ramirez (Caltech), and G. Schneider (University of Arizona). Chandra Data (bottom-right): The science team was led by Q.D. Wang (University of Massachusetts, Amherst). Image courtesy of NASA/CXC/UMass/Q.D. Wang et al.
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    SST>IRAC, HST>NICMOS, and CXO>ACIS
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    September 3, 2004, and September 15, 2005 (SST), February 22 - June 5, 2008 (HST), and March 2000 - July 2007 (CXO)
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    SST: 3.6 microns, 4.5 microns, 5.8 microns, and 8.0 microns HST: F187N (Paschen-Alpha) and F190N (Paschen-Alpha continuum) CXO: 1-3 keV, 3-5 keV, 5-8 keV
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Galactic Center
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Center of the Milky Way Galaxy
  • Release Date
    November 10, 2009
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Great Observatories Celebrate International Year of Astronomy
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, SSC, CXC, and STScI

Downloads

  • PDF
    (1.45 MB)
  • 3000 × 2400
    (1.44 MB)
  • 200 × 200
    (13.58 KB)
  • 400 × 273
    (41.24 KB)
  • 878 × 600
    (258.01 KB)
  • 1280 × 1024
    (485.57 KB)
Compass and Scale
Compass and ScaleAn astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made.

Related Images & Videos

NASA's Great Observatories Examine the Galactic Center Region

NASA's Great Observatories Examine the Galactic Center Region (With Title)

In celebration of the International Year of Astronomy 2009, NASA's Great Observatories – the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory – have collaborated to produce an unprecedented image of the central region of our Milky Way...

NASA's Great Observatories Examine the Galactic Center Region

NASA's Great Observatories Examine the Galactic Center Region

In celebration of the International Year of Astronomy 2009, NASA's Great Observatories – the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory – have collaborated to produce an unprecedented image of the central region of our Milky Way...

NASA's Great Observatories Present Unique Views of the Center of the Milky Way

NASA's Great Observatories Present Unique Views of the Center of the Milky Way

In celebration of the International Year of Astronomy 2009, NASA's Great Observatories – the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory – have produced a matched trio of images of the central region of our Milky Way galaxy. Each image...

Galactic Center Region in Infrared from Spitzer

Galactic Center Region in Infrared from Spitzer

The Spitzer Space Telescope's infrared-light observations provide a detailed and spectacular view of the galactic center region. The swirling core of our galaxy harbors hundreds of thousands of stars that cannot be seen in visible light. These stars heat the nearby gas and dust....

Galactic Center Region in Near-Infrared from Hubble

Galactic Center Region in Near-Infrared from Hubble

Although best known for its visible-light images, the Hubble Space Telescope also observes over a limited range of infrared light. The galactic center is marked by the bright patch in the lower right. Along the left side are large arcs of warm gas that have been heated by...

Galactic Center Region in X-rays from Chandra

Galactic Center Region in X-rays from Chandra

X-rays detected by the Chandra X-ray Observatory expose a wealth of exotic objects and high-energy features. In this image, pink represents lower energy X-rays and blue indicates higher energy. Hundreds of small dots show emission from material around black holes and other dense...

Compass/Scale Annotated Image of the Center of the Milky Way

Compass/Scale Annotated Image of the Center of the Milky Way

Galactic Center Pan Animation

Galactic Center Pan Animation

The mysterious heart of our Milky Way galaxy is unveiled in new detail in this color composite image. The power of all three of NASA's Great Observatories – Spitzer, Chandra, and Hubble, had been brought to bear on the tumultuous galactic core. The colorful spectacle of stellar...

Galactic Center Pan Animation (Narrated)

Galactic Center Pan Animation (Narrated)

The mysterious heart of our Milky Way galaxy is unveiled in new detail in this color composite image. The power of all three of NASA's Great Observatories – Spitzer, Chandra, and Hubble, had been brought to bear on the tumultuous galactic core. The colorful spectacle of stellar...

Share

Details

Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

Related Terms

Keep Exploring

Discover More Topics From NASA

Hubble Space Telescope

Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe.

Hubble Science Highlights

Hubble Images

Hubble News Old