Journey to the Center of the Galaxy

Explanation: In Jules Verne 's science fiction classic A Journey to the Center of the Earth , Professor Hardwigg and his fellow explorers encounter many strange and exciting wonders. What wonders lie at the center of our Galaxy ? Astronomers now know of some of the bizarre objects which exist there, like vast dust clouds , bright young stars , swirling rings of gas , and even a large black hole . Much of the Galactic Center is shielded from our view in visible light by the intervening dust and gas, but it can be explored using other forms of electromagnetic radiation . This haunting image of the Galactic Center region in infrared light was made in 1996 by a telescope onboard the Midcourse Space Experiment . The center itself appears as a bright spot near the middle of this roughly 1 degree field of view, and the north galactic pole is towards the top. The picture is in false color - starlight appears blue while dust is greenish grey, tending to red in the cooler areas.