New Evidence for Central Bar of Stars in Milky Way |
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Written by spacetravel.org
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Wednesday, 17 August 2005 22:08 |
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A new infrared survey by Ed Churchwell, professor of astronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his colleagues, confirms previous evidence that a central bar of stars is embedded in the center of the Milky Ways spiral arms.
The survey, which was done using NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope, shows that the bar is made of relatively old and red stars. It is approximately 27,000 light-years long, about 7,000 light-years longer than was previously thought. It is oriented at about a 45-degree angle relative to the main plane of the galaxy.
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