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Overview

The zoomable, pannable galaxy map on this website would not have been possible without the decision of the world's astronomers to make their research available to all on the internet, including the huge collection of scientific papers at the Astrophysics Data System, the more than four thousand data catalogs at VizieR, and the great database of over three million astronomical objects at Simbad.

Our galaxy's stars are born out of giant molecular clouds of gas and dust. About 1300 clouds from several catalogs are shown as green spheres on the map. Also shown are more than 5000 of our galaxy's brightest stars, and over 740 star clusters, shown as orange circles roughly representing the cluster size. Many bright stars radiate intense ultraviolet radiation that ionises vast regions of hydrogen gas, causing the gas to glow a dull red. About 800 of these HII regions are shown as red spheres on the map.

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This garden universe vibrates complete.
Some we get a sound so sweet.
Vibrations reach on up to become light,
And then through gamma, out of sight.
Between the eyes and ears there lay,
The sounds of colour and the light of a sigh.
And to hear the sun, what a thing to believe.
But it's all around if we could but perceive.
To know ultraviolet, infrared and X-rays,
Beauty to find in so many ways.

Moody Blues,
In Search Of The Lost Chord