
Photo: X-ray: NASA/CXC/UMass/D. Wang et al.; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI/D. Wang et al.; IR: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSC/S. Stolovy
Center of Milky Way Galaxy
If we could look at the Milky Way Galaxy from beyond its borders, it would look like a spiral pinwheel with a bulge at the center. Earth lies in one of the outer arms. The center of our galaxy, where the stars are tightly packed together, is one of the brightest sections of the night sky. Captured through special telescopes, this image of the galactic center reveals intense activity in an area normally obscured by dust. The actual center is the bright white area on the right.