http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/Images/StarChild/universe_level2/milky_way_big.gif
I was under the impression that no probe or anything we have sent out into space has left our galaxy in order to take a picture of the galaxy itself from a distant outside perspective.
2007-09-22 06:38:53 · 7 answers · asked by jrels2 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
wait.... this is an image from the COBE surveyor.
we can almost (if its dark enough) see this from earth and it sorta looks like this
http://epod.usra.edu/archive/images/summermilkyway_gross.jpg
COBE took an Infared image and focused on the center of the milky way.
its actually a bunch of pictures stuck together, but its not a picture of 100% of our galaxy. some of its missing because of depth of feild and focus
2007-09-22 07:37:12 · answer #1 · answered by Mercury 2010 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You are correct there has been no probe that has completely left our galaxy. In fact the Viking probes are close to leaving the solar system but even that is debated.
The image is a false color image constructed from near infrared wavelength radiation data collected from a satellite launched from earth into a 900 km orbit (560 miles) above the earth. They took the data that corresponds to the Milkyway Galaxy and combined it into a picture of what it would roughly look like from a distant observer. It is called a "false color" image because we cannot see radiation in the near infrared or microwave wavelengths that the satellite used. So they assigned colors (wavelengths) we can see to the wavelengths we couldn't.
The description of the image on the NASA site you referenced states <<<
The image we have on our site is a near-infrared image of the Milky Way. It shows the Milky Way from an edge-on perspective with the north pole of our galaxy at the top and the south pole at the bottom. At near-infrared wavelengths, the dominant source of light is stars within our galaxy. Even though our solar system is part of the Milky Way, the view looks distant because most of the light comes from the population of stars that are closer to the galactic center (the big bulge in the middle of the disk) than our own Sun.">>>>
2007-09-22 07:08:16 · answer #2 · answered by joseFFF 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
You are right, no probe has been able to get beyond our galaxy. This is not a picture from a probe, but probably a digitally made idea of what it looks like.
2007-09-22 06:45:50 · answer #3 · answered by Kyle R 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
This is one of two things
1. A painting of an idea of our galaxy.
or 2. A picture of a similar type galaxy.
I hope that clarifies things
2007-09-22 06:44:26 · answer #4 · answered by Jordan A 2 · 4⤊ 0⤋
And how did they film Star Wars? Man, they're keeping us in the dark here.
2007-09-22 06:51:13 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
Maybe they obtained it from space aliens that they're holding in Area 51?
Doug
2007-09-22 07:21:02 · answer #6 · answered by doug_donaghue 7 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Things that make you go hmmmm
2007-09-22 06:46:22 · answer #7 · answered by ryankneale 6 · 0⤊ 5⤋