RM
Map of core of Milky Way galaxy
The Milky Way centre. Map of a region 1000 light years across centred on the core of our Milky Way galaxy. Three radio sources are associated with the galactic nucleus: Sagittarius A West, Sagitt- arius A East, and Sagittarius A*. A* probably contains a black hole weighing 3 million solar masses, which is thought to power the activity at the galactic centre. Two rings of gas are seen: the inner one is probably caused by the magnetic influence of the galactic nucleus; the external ring is a collection of molecular clouds (orange) and clouds of neutral (yellow) and ionised (pink) hydrogen. The Henbest/Baum galaxy map is based on the location of 1500 stars and other objects.
More
Top Categories