ESO telescope captures the most detailed infrared map ever of our Milky Way
Astronomers created the most detailed infrared map of the Milky Way using the VISTA telescope, revealing over 1.5 billion objects and leading to over 300 scientific publications over 13 years.
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Astronomers have unveiled the most detailed infrared map of the Milky Way, created using the European Southern Observatory's VISTA telescope. This extensive project, which spanned over 13 years and involved 500 terabytes of data, includes more than 1.5 billion objects, significantly surpassing previous maps. The VISTA telescope, located at the Paranal Observatory in Chile, utilized its infrared camera, VIRCAM, to penetrate the dust and gas of the galaxy, revealing hidden regions and allowing for the observation of newborn stars and globular clusters. The dataset, equivalent to 8600 full moons, comprises 200,000 images and provides a 3D view of the inner Milky Way, previously obscured by dust. The project, known as the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) survey, has already led to over 300 scientific publications. Future enhancements to the VISTA telescope and the Very Large Telescope (VLT) are planned, which will enable further exploration of the gathered data and potentially lead to new discoveries.
- The VISTA telescope has produced the most detailed infrared map of the Milky Way.
- The project took over 13 years and involved 500 terabytes of data.
- The map includes more than 1.5 billion objects, revealing previously hidden regions of the galaxy.
- The VVV survey has already resulted in over 300 scientific articles.
- Future upgrades to VISTA and VLT will enhance data exploration and discovery potential.
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