Combining the stars from the 2MASS Point Source Catalog and the galaxies from the 2MASS Extended Source Catalog, a new high resolution map of the Milky Way and Beyond is constructed. Spanning some 36,000 pixels across, the map shows the entire Galactic Plane within +- 45 degrees of horizontal plane. At 100 dots per inch, it covers nearly 30 feet long and 8 feet high. The image was created specifically for the London Science Museum's new exhibition on finding planets and life beyond the Solar System. The exhibit is called The Science of Aliens. Here is a press release. And here is a snapshot of some action (note the backdrop is the 2MASS view of the Galaxy).
Smaller versions of the map components are here (previously published):
Detailed Information:
Pixel values represent the integrated flux along the line of sight, including stars (from the PSC) and galaxies (from the XSC). The light is separated into three color bands corresponding to the near-infrared window that 2MASS observed: blue == J-band (1.2 microns), green = H-band (1.6 microns) and red = K-band (2.2 microns).
The pixel resolution is 36 arcseconds (meaning that any given pixel has typically one or two stars within it). The full image is 36,000 X 9000 pixels, covering 360 degrees Galactic longitude and +- 45 degrees latitude. For convenience, the large mosaic is divided into four pieces, each 9000X9000 pixels in size.
Since galaxies are low surface brightness relative to stars, they tend to be much fainter than stars. They are also much less numerous compared to the Milky Way: 500 million stars versus 1.5 million galaxies.
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