Where's the High Res Milkyway Photo?

[darbius]

Hi, a few weeks ago there was an amazing high resolution image of the milkway ecliptic. It was a huge photo that you can zoom in and out of and move all around - really amazing. I can't seem to find it anywhere right now. Can you give me a link to that image?

Thanks

 

[SpeedFreek]

Was it this one?

http://www.gigagalaxyzoom.org/B.html

 

[darbius]

almost! the one i saw was just one large image that you could zoom in and mouse around. not just pick certain squares. Thanks though. this is still very cool.

 

[BossFan]

I am after the same pic, but I would love a really clear one that has an arrow pointing at our sun, just to show how small we really are, I found one yesterday and have put it as a background picture, but it's not that clear, but still awesome.

 

[MeteorWayne]

I doubt t's the same picture, since any high resolution image of the Milky Way taken from the earth, would not show the sun....

 

[BossFan]

It was just a dot with a arrow pointing at it, saying 'our sun'.
Sorry, I am very very new to all this, but the pic I have got, is it just a sort of 'what-if, could-be' sort of pic.

 

[MeteorWayne]

It was just a dot with a arrow pointing at it, saying 'our sun'.
Sorry, I am very very new to all this, but the pic I have got, is it just a sort of 'what-if, could-be' sort of pic.

Exactly. If there's an arrow pointing to the sun, it's not a real picture, since there is no way to takes such a picture from outside the Milky Way where the sun would be visible.

 

[BossFan]

Unless it's someone driving a very big arrow.

So any picture of the Milky Way is just a guess?
I read that it's a load of pictures sort of stuck together to make what we think it looks like, is that right?

 

[MeteorWayne]

No, the High Resolution Photo that this thread is referring to is one taken from the near earth environment, so it is what our view of the Milky Way is from inside it, where we live. It is quite real and beautiful. It shows the MW as a band across the sky. Much as it appears in the sky from the surface, except with far more detail that our eyes can percieve.

Any image that shows the MW as a spiral is a simulation, since we cannot view our own galaxy in that way.

 

[BossFan]

Any image that shows the MW as a spiral is a simulation, since we cannot view our own galaxy in that way.

So, all we can see the MW in, is a line of some sort, is that right.

 

[MeteorWayne]

That's correct. Haven't you ever looked up in the sky and seen it? That's the same view any telescope has (except for wavelenth of the electromagnetic radiation it looks at, of course)

 

[BossFan]

Would you believe, NO! I really did not think it was possible, I really thought one could only see stars.
I am very new to all this btw. (I don't mean looking up. )

 

[MeteorWayne]

Well, that's what you see when you look up at the Milky Way. Millions of stars

 

[SpaceXFanMobius57]

You can't see the milky way band even under suburban light pollution, havent been able to see it in a long time.

 

[MeteorWayne]

Depends on how you define "suburban". When the MW is overhead, on a very clear night it can be seen from surprisingly light polluted skies. It won't be seen in it's full glory, but it's not all that hard to see witha little effort.