What are these bright spots in this zoomable image of the Milky Way?

  • Context: High School 
  • Thread starter Thread starter simbiote3
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Image Milky way
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the identification and explanation of bright spots in a zoomable image of the Milky Way. Participants explore various interpretations of these features, including their potential nature as stars, globular clusters, or artifacts of image processing. The conversation includes both observational and theoretical perspectives.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that bright spots are likely stars closer to Earth than the galaxy being photographed.
  • Others propose that one of the bright spots is a globular cluster, while the other may be a star embedded in or in front of a nebula.
  • A participant identifies the left bright spot as Messier 22 and speculates that the right one could be a nearby star, possibly Eta Sagittarii.
  • Another participant questions the identification of the globular cluster, suggesting it might actually be M28 instead of M22.
  • Some participants express uncertainty about the nature of "dark stars" in the image, with one suggesting they may be image processing artifacts.
  • There is a discussion about blue streaks in the image, with a hypothesis that they result from slight rotation of the telescope between different color exposures.
  • One participant speculates that the bright spots could be newly formed stars illuminating their surrounding gas clouds.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express multiple competing views regarding the identification of the bright spots, with no consensus reached on their exact nature or classification. The discussion remains unresolved on several points, particularly concerning the globular cluster identification and the interpretation of the dark stars.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference specific astronomical coordinates and related literature, indicating a complex understanding of the image's context. However, there are unresolved assumptions regarding the identification of objects and the effects of image processing.

simbiote3
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
I just recently found this zoomable image of the milky way and I have been really curious about what the 2 really bright spots are. There is one in the bottom left corner and another near the bottom center.

https://www.eso.org/public/usa/images/eso1242a/zoomable/
 
Astronomy news on Phys.org
Usually the bright spots are just stars that happen to closer to us than the galaxy being photographed. Its like taking the photo of someone in a crowd, there will always be someone standing closer that you capture too.

In the astronomical case, we are inside the milky way taking photos through the stars around us to capture something light years away in another galaxy like taking a picture of the moon while a plane passes in front of it.
 
Another similar effect: Imagine you are out walking. You see a flock of hundreds of pigeons flying in the air some km away. Now imagine the size of a pigeon flying right at you a few meters away. What is more noticeable in your perception?
 
Orodruin said:
Another similar effect: Imagine you are out walking. You see a flock of hundreds of pigeons flying in the air some km away. Now imagine the size of a pigeon flying right at you a few meters away. What is more noticeable in your perception?

You're about to be smacked with a dropping. :-)
 
  • Haha
Likes   Reactions: phinds
The left one is a globular cluster, though. The right one does look like a star embedded in or in front of a nebula.
I'm trying to identify which are those, but it's not as easy as I thought.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: CWatters and russ_watters
simbiote3 said:
I just recently found this zoomable image of the milky way and I have been really curious about what the 2 really bright spots are. There is one in the bottom left corner and another near the bottom center.

https://www.eso.org/public/usa/images/eso1242a/zoomable/

Are you referring to the globular clusters? The very bright, tightly packed clusters of stars?
 
Alright, the left one is Messier 22, the right one must be just some nearby star. Maybe Eta Sagittarii since the coordinates look about right.

The scene shows the bulge area spanning galactic coordinates: b = +5, -10; l=+10, -10; if somebody wants to ponder this more.
Here's the associated paper: https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2012/08/aa19448-12/aa19448-12.html
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: QuantumQuest, diogenesNY, davenn and 4 others
Bandersnatch said:
Alright, the left one is Messier 22, the right one must be just some nearby star. Maybe Eta Sagittarii since the coordinates look about right.

The scene shows the bulge area spanning galactic coordinates: b = +5, -10; l=+10, -10; if somebody wants to ponder this more.
Here's the associated paper: https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2012/08/aa19448-12/aa19448-12.html

I got interested in this and drew the attached map showing the corners of the scene. I think you're right about Eta Sagittarii, but I decided the globular cluster is actually M28, not M22.
Galactic_Center.png
 

Attachments

  • Galactic_Center.png
    Galactic_Center.png
    39.9 KB · Views: 931
phyzguy said:
but I decided the globular cluster is actually M28, not M22.
Well, then. You take it up with the authors of the paper, since they identify it as M22 :wink:
It even looks like M22 - it's got this 'leg' of three stars extending at an angle.

M28 is there:
upload_2019-2-2_6-3-26.png
 

Attachments

  • upload_2019-2-2_6-3-26.png
    upload_2019-2-2_6-3-26.png
    92.4 KB · Views: 896
  • #10
Bandersnatch said:
Well, then. You take it up with the authors of the paper, since they identify it as M22 :wink:
It even looks like M22 - it's got this 'leg' of three stars extending at an angle.
M28 is there:

You're right, of course. Sorry to muddy the water. I must have my field boundary in Post #8 misplaced.
 
  • #11
From the same zoomable picture, can you please explain the "dark stars" circled in red below?

upload_2019-2-2_16-38-22.png

Zoomed view of the bright object circled in yellow below.

upload_2019-2-2_17-1-38.png


Can you explain the red dot below? Edit, there is at least one more red dot not far from the image below.

upload_2019-2-2_17-3-39.png


The above is the relatively bright object circled in yellow below,

upload_2019-2-2_17-6-13.png


Thanks.
 

Attachments

  • upload_2019-2-2_16-34-21.png
    upload_2019-2-2_16-34-21.png
    59.4 KB · Views: 463
  • upload_2019-2-2_16-38-22.png
    upload_2019-2-2_16-38-22.png
    61.9 KB · Views: 858
  • upload_2019-2-2_16-42-29.png
    upload_2019-2-2_16-42-29.png
    153.1 KB · Views: 464
  • upload_2019-2-2_16-53-38.png
    upload_2019-2-2_16-53-38.png
    56.2 KB · Views: 412
  • upload_2019-2-2_16-54-10.png
    upload_2019-2-2_16-54-10.png
    71.8 KB · Views: 386
  • upload_2019-2-2_17-1-38.png
    upload_2019-2-2_17-1-38.png
    63.7 KB · Views: 870
  • upload_2019-2-2_17-3-39.png
    upload_2019-2-2_17-3-39.png
    141.6 KB · Views: 846
  • upload_2019-2-2_17-6-13.png
    upload_2019-2-2_17-6-13.png
    38.5 KB · Views: 838
  • #12
Looks like image processing artifacts to me.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: davenn
  • #13
Spinnor said:
rom the same zoomable picture, can you please explain the "dark stars" circled in red below?

Drakkith said:
Looks like image processing artifacts to me.
Agree with Drakkith, they all look like imaging/processing artifacts
 
  • #14
What makes the blue streaks counter clockwise from the red and green?
 
  • #15
stefan r said:
What makes the blue streaks counter clockwise from the red and green?
Most likely, the telescope was rotated slightly between the red, green, and blue exposures. That would cause the diffraction spikes to be rotated when the images are registered and stacked.
 
  • #16
simbiote3 said:
I just recently found this zoomable image of the milky way and I have been really curious about what the 2 really bright spots are. There is one in the bottom left corner and another near the bottom center.

https://www.eso.org/public/usa/images/eso1242a/zoomable/
They appear to be newly formed stars that are illuminating their natal gas clouds.
 

Similar threads

Undergrad Inquiry Regarding the Determination of the Galactic Disk's Outer Bound
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
High School Are There Any Kardeshev 2.0 Civilizations in the Milky Way?
  • · Replies 19 ·
Replies
19
Views
4K
Undergrad Orientation of the Earth, Sun and Solar System in the Milky Way
  • · Replies 142 ·
5
Replies
142
Views
140K
High School Contradictions in the Distribution of Gamma-Ray Bursts
  • · Replies 24 ·
Replies
24
Views
2K
High School NGC 4590, more than 1,400 stars found in various evolutionary stages
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Stargazing Astro Image Stacking (optimize DSS image stacking and post processing)
  • · Replies 43 ·
2
Replies
43
Views
12K
High School Asteroid 2024 BX1 entered Earth's atmosphere over Germany 21 Jan 2024
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
High School Free Online Lecture: Seeing the Unseeable - Capturing an Image of a Black Hole
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
High School Milky Way's Supermassive Black Hole to Light Up in 2013?
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
6K
Undergrad Dark Matter Disc Evidence: New Possibilities in Milky Way Galaxy
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K