A science blog with Eric Berger

Our galaxy, like you’ve never seen it before



It’s some 27,000 light years away, and shrouded by thick clouds of gas and dust. To get around the dust astronomers must observe light at longer wavelengths, principally in the infrared, that is not scattered by dust articles. With a longer wavelength that visible light, infrared light is used for a variety of purposes on Earth, including night vision.


And lo and behold, it looks like a large peanut. An artist’s concept of what our galaxy would look like from an observer outside it is below.

Artist's impression shows how the Milky Way galaxy would look seen from almost edge on. (ESO/NASA/JPL-Caltech/M. Kornmesser/R. Hurt)

Artist’s impression shows how the Milky Way galaxy would look seen from almost edge on.  Click to enlarge. (ESO/NASA/JPL-Caltech/M. Kornmesser/R. Hurt)


Tis a beautiful galaxy that we call home.

Eric Berger

53 Responses

  1. ScientistMike says:

    Eric writes “duspt articles” – I like it! :)

    Yeah, that’s a conundrum, isn’t it? Our galaxy is so large that we can never get away for a real photo. Yet we yearn to know what it really looks like.

    Maybe we are not supposed to know!?

  2. TheRealRick says:

    He determines the number of the stars
    and calls them each by name.
    (Psalm 147:4)

    • Taylor says:

      They’re fireflies. Fireflies that got stuck up in that…blueish/black thing.
      (Book of Timon 23:2)

    • Stewart says:

      i have a question, how can in the galaxy has 300 bilion stars, if making calculation gives diferent results. orion arm belt, = 2000 LY deep; 3500 LY large: 10000 LY distance.. so multiply, 2000 * 3500 *10000 = 70000 divide by 5light yesr per star = 14 bilion star in our arm???? but if we make 2000 divide by 5 * 3500 divide by 5 * 10000 divide by 5 = 480 milions stars..

      some thign is not right, based on what calculation can they know there are 300 bilions stars. if one apears that show a result of a around 10 bilion not 300……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….what is the truth???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

    • Tom_in_Cypress says:


      You are making false assumptions in your equation. You are assuming that star density in the spiral arms of a galaxy is the same as the density in the core. We know that the cores of galaxies are far more star dense than the arms. You also did not take into account that there are multiple arms.

      I’m also not sure where you came up with the formula of X star per 1LY to begin with.

    • Someone says:

      Stewart, you’re assuming an even density of 5 cubic light-years per star. Since the distribution of stars is very uneven, with much closer spacing towards the galactic core, your numbers are off.

    • StanleyS says:

      Stewart, it is your own calculation that is not right, and for several reasons.

  3. J. Reynolds says:

    Infrared light was employed in The Phantom From Space in order to make the space phantom visible. He was a silicon-based life form, and thus transparent/invisible to us carbon-based life forms — but the infrared exposed him, and enabled Earthlings to track him down and corner him. He died because he couldn’t breathe our air. His NASA people (creatures) should have performed better interplanetary reconnaissance, before sending him here.

  4. Jones says:

    Please proof read your “work” before posting. Please tell me you get docked pay when you post “that is not scattered by duspt articles. With a longer wavelength that visible light…” First, I do think you mean DUST. What, the chron can’t afford spell check on your computer? It’s no wonder it has hemorrhaged money and lost its base of supporters. Second, PROOF READ. It should say “longer wavelength than visible light…”
    JEBUS, how did you even get this job. smh

    • JohnD says:

      If that is the strongest complaint that you can make about the article, then Eric has done his job well.

    • Chris Walken says:

      He is vary angy.

    • Tim says:

      Eric, Please don’t proofread or spell check anything ever again. I find it much more entertaining when these wannabe editors in the comments section have a freakout about a misspelled word or two on an otherwise interesting and informative article.

    • Joaquin Jackson says:

      Proofing an article is basic English composition. One misspelled word can hurt the credibility of any writer. Those of you who don’t understand obviously never set foot on the campus of an accredited four year university.

      University of Phoenix doesn’t count and never will.

    • Eric Berger says:

      Of course I understand this. And I do proofread my articles. But I sling a lot of copy, I was writing at 6 a.m., and at that hour mistakes do happen. I think the point my gentle readers are trying to make is that it’s one thing to point out an error, it’s another thing to freak out over it.

    • StanleyS says:

      Fear not, oh man, Jebus forgives, even if thou misspell his name.

    • Mike says:

      Jones, I think Eric really misspells words intentionally to give meaning to your otherwise meaningless life. Apparently, there is a small and growing legion of readers that live for nothing but to criticize the Chronicle for any real or imagined reason, you being one of them. And Eric, being the good servant, is just doing what he can to attract clicks to the website.

      I heard something on the show “The Newsroom” the other day, that negative comments outnumber positive comments 30 to 1. I don’t know if it’s accurate but it’s not too far off.

      Eric, I enjoy reading your columns and blog. Science is fascinating and the picture of the galaxy is stunning work. Please keep up the good work.

      Hmmmmm…..I guess this post is both positive and negative.

  5. Eli says:

    Silent? I thought that when you get that deep in space, you can’t help but pick up a “P”article or two?? :)

  6. TransAmer99 says:

    Voyager has a REALLY long way to go before it can afford a view like that.

    • StanleyS says:

      I don’t think that V’ger ever gets out of the galaxy. She remains gravitationally bound, and circles the center forever, just like a star.

      And we all remember that V’ger has a female voice, don’t we? :-)

  7. Matthew says:

    Looks more like a fried egg to me.

  8. J. Reynolds says:

    Isn’t our galaxy headed for a collision with the Andromeda galaxy?

    I recently ran across some evacuation plans fo… never mind.

    • Eric Berger says:

      Yes. But that collision will occur after our own star has died.

    • Jim says:

      Another strange but true fact. When the two galaxies collide the stars are so far from each other that none of them will actually collide.

    • Hop David says:

      This PDF says the collision may occur 3 billion years from now and that our sun will swell to a red dwarf 5 billion years from now.

      Even if humans are still around, the collision would likely leave our solar system unharmed: “While the Andromeda Galaxy contains about 1 trillion (1012) stars and the Milky Way contains about 300 billion (3×1011), the chance of even two stars colliding is negligible because of the huge distances between the stars. “

    • JohnD says:

      There is considerable uncertainty in the velocity of Andromeda. Some sources give the start of the collision as 3 billion years from now and others put it out past 5 billion. And, of course, the scope of the event means that it will last several hundred million years.

      And, though the distance between the stars is vast, there will be enough of them placed closely enough during the event to cause considerable havoc. This site has some pretty nice images of what has happened when other galaxies collided.

  9. JohnD says:


    I’m not too sure about that “artist’s deception” (as they were called at GSFC); the edge of the Milky Way seems a little too “fluffy”. Compare that to NGC 4565 (which also has a hint of the peanut shape) and you’ll see what I mean.

    • Eric Berger says:

      I, too, think out galaxy is flatter than that. Once heard Neil deGrasse Tyson describe it as a crepe, rather than a pancake.

    • JohnD says:

      Mmm… Dark matter crepes.

    • Jim says:

      Let’s not forget the dark matter “halo” that dominates our galaxy. We know it exists because the radial velocities from the center to the visible outer edge are linear.

      If you include the dark matter halo, we actually would “look” more like a sphere.


    • Someone says:

      Yes, but do we look like dark dark matter crepes, or milk dark matter crepes? How big is the strawberry on top? And why are we making dark matter crepes, anyway? Can’t we just apologize?

  10. Michael S says:

    I can see my house! :)

  11. John Smith says:

    Voyager…~35 years in space, traveling nearly 40,000 mph…only 14.7 light-days away from us!

    • Jim says:

      That’s why I used to tell my programmers that if any aliens ever did manage to make it here they would look like a herd of freeze dried dinosaurs after traveling in deep space at 3 degrees K for 70,000 years.

  12. Prwdpop says:

    I’ve been there. It’s OK I guess.

  13. Kay says:

    To John D reference the “fluffy” edge. Perhaps our galaxy would be fluffy because the larger planets are on the outer bands instead of near the sun. Just a thought to consider.

    • JohnD says:

      Kay, that’s a nice idea but at the scale of the image, planets wouldn’t even show up as tiny little motes; they would be invisible. Remember that we can’t even make out the difference between alpha centauri A and alpha centauri B with the naked eye from just 4.2 light years away – and those are starts that are a thousand times larger than Jupiter (our system’s largest planet)!

  14. Eric:

    Three That Scare Me:

    1. Monsters.

    2. Ghosts.

    3. Pictures of the galaxy.
    For I realize that I am
    no longer found-
    With my feet firmly on
    the ground.

  15. Patricia says:

    (Psalm 147:4)

  16. MatressMackDaddy says:

    “buckling of the centermost region of the galaxy under strong gravitational forces”

    Due to the Super Massive Black Hole thats sucking the entire thing in…..

  17. Ivar says:

    I zoomed in, still can’t find the “You are here” arrow…hehe

  18. Gerald says:

    Drawing pictures of something never seen does not make it so.

    • StanleyS says:

      You misunderstand the article. The whole point of the article is that, for the first time, it has been seen. The artist is simply drawing a picture based on the infrared photos taken by the astronomers.

    • Rob R says:

      The artist may not have been there, but that’s exactly how it looked when I was on my way in. Minus the huge blue-shift, of course. Nanu-nanu!

    • Bill in Houston says:

      Rob, Rob, Rob…

      Blue shift? Duuuuuude. I see you’re still using that old first quantum hyperdrive. All the hip kids, and everyone who’s anyone have upgraded to the third quantum model.


  19. StanleyS says:

    And ’tis also beautiful that, once again, scientific theory first makes a prediction (peanut-shaped galactic core) which is then confirmed by observation, thus further strengthening the theory.

  20. Mike Henley says:

    Are you sure that isn’t just a picture of the Sombrero Galaxy?

    I think the artist may be a copycat. -grin-

  21. StanleyS says:

    I have a question about motion of individual stars (such as our sun) within the outer regions of the galaxy.

    As we circle the galactic core, do we also oscillate up and down, above and below the galactic plane?

    If so, all we have to do is wait until we reach our next oscillation extremum and we will probably have a much clearer view of the galactic core. :-)

  22. Bill in Houston says:


    BTDT :)