Visualization of the wavelength-dependence of extinction (the “extinction curve”) caused by dust, for the plane of our galaxy’s disk, out to a distance of 8,000 light-years from the Sun. (IMAGE)

Max Planck Institute for Astronomy

Visualization of the wavelength-dependence of extinction (the “extinction curve”) caused by dust, for the plane of our galaxy’s disk, out to a distance of 8,000 light-years from the Sun.

Caption

Red indicates regions where extinction falls off more rapidly at long wavelengths (the red end of the spectrum), while blue indicates that extinction is less dependent on wavelength. Regions with insufficient data are shown in white. The gray contours enclose regions of high dust density.

Credit

X. Zhang/G. Green, MPIA

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