Lyman-Alpha Light Map (IMAGE)
Caption
The SwRI-led NASA New Horizons mission’s extensive observations of Lyman-alpha emissions have resulted in the first-ever map from the galaxy in Lyman-alpha light. This SwRI-developed Alice spectrograph map (in ecliptic coordinates, centered on the direction opposite the Sun) depicts the relatively uniform brightness of the Lyman-alpha background surrounding our heliosphere. The black dots represent approximately 90,000 known UV-bright stars in our galaxy. The north and south galactic poles are indicated (NGP & SGP, respectively), along with the flow direction of the interstellar medium through the solar system (both upstream and downstream).
Credit
Southwest Research Institute
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