The peanut at the heart of our galaxy: Best 3-D map yet of central bulge of the Milky Way
Thursday, September 12, 2013 - 09:30
in Astronomy & Space
Two groups of astronomers have used data from ESO telescopes to make the best three-dimensional map yet of the central parts of the Milky Way. They have found that the inner regions take on a peanut-like, or X-shaped, appearance from some angles. This odd shape was mapped by using public data from ESO’s VISTA survey telescope along with measurements of the motions of hundreds of very faint stars in the central bulge.