Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Susan Stolovy (SSC/Caltech) et al.
"The center of our Milky Way Galaxy is hidden from the
prying eyes of optical telescopes by clouds of obscuring dust and gas. But, in
this stunning vista, the Spitzer Space Telescope's infrared cameras penetrate
much of the dust, revealing the stars of the crowded galactic center region. A
mosaic of many smaller snapshots, this detailed, false-color image shows older,
cool stars in bluish hues. Reddish glowing dust clouds are associated with
young, hot stars in stellar nurseries. The galactic center lies some 26,000
light-years away, toward the constellation Sagittarius. At that distance, this
picture spans about 900 light-years."