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Tiny speckle like features in this image make up the sky.  This image is a mosaic of all the atlas images available in the WISE All-Sky Data Release. Link to Zeta OphiuchiLink tothe Lagoon NebulaLink to Omega CentauriLink to the Lambda Centauri NebulaLink to Gum 22Link to Alpha CamelopardalisLink to the IC 342Link to Heart and Soul NebulaLink to the California NebulaLink to the Andromeda GalaxyLink to the Jellyfish NebulaLink to the Seagull NebulaLink to Puppis ALink to M3 and Comet Garradd Link to M74 Link to Whirlpool Galaxy Link to M81 and M82 Link to the Veil Nebula Link to Alpha Camelopardalis Link to Zeta Ophiuchi Link to Thor's Helmet Link to IC 1396 Link to Rho Ophiuchi Link to M3 and Comet Garradd Link to M83 Link to Omega Centauri Link to the IC 342 Link to Heart of Cygnus Link to Heart and Soul Nebula Link to Maffei 1 and 2 Link to the California Nebula Link to Pleiades Link to Triangulum Galaxy Link to the Andromeda Galaxy Link to Bernard 3 Link to Pinwheel Galaxy Link to Asteroids in Virgo Cluster Link to Sombrero Galaxy Link to IC 4592 Link tothe Lagoon Nebula Link to IRDC G11.11 G.11 Link to NGC 6723 Link to LBN 114 Link to the Sculptor Galaxy Link to the Lambda Centauri Nebula Link to the Circinus Galaxy Link to First Light Link to Gum 22 Link to the Tarantula Nebula Link to the Small Magellanic Cloud Link to the Fornax Cluster Link to Puppis A Link to the Seagull Nebula Link to the Flame Nebula Link to the Rosette Nebula Link to the Jellyfish Nebula Link to Lambda Orionis

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Tiny speckle like features in this image make up the sky.  This image is a mosaic of all the atlas images available in the WISE All-Sky Data Release.

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WISE

March 14, 2012 - Mapping the Infrared Universe: The Entire WISE Sky

This is a mosaic of the images covering the entire sky as observed by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), part of its All-Sky Data Release.

The sky can be thought of as a sphere that surrounds us in three dimensions. To make a map of the sky, astronomers project it into two dimensions. Many different methods can be used to project a spherical surface into a 2-D map. The projection used in this image of the sky is called Aitoff, named after the geographer who invented it. It takes the 3-D sky sphere and slices open one hemisphere, and then flattens the whole thing out into an oval shape.

Any projection creates distortions, so people tend to use a particular projection type based on where in the resulting map the distortions are minimal. This map is centered on the Milky Way Galaxy. The plane of the Galaxy runs along the equator, and the center of the Galaxy is at the center of the map, where projection distortions are minimal. The distortions are most pronounced at the edges of the map. The right and left edges of this oval shape are the same location in the sky. A second projection of this image is also available, called equirectangular. This method projects the sky into a rectangular shape with Cartesian coordinates, and is useful for planetariums that may wish to display the image on their domes.

In this mosaic, the Milky Way Galaxy runs horizontally across this map. The Milky Way is shaped like a disk and the Solar System is located in that disk about two-thirds of the way out from the center. So we see the Milky Way as a band running through the sky. As we look toward the center of the Galaxy we are looking through more of the disk than when we are looking at large angles away from the center, and you can see a noticeable increase in stars (colored blue-green) toward the center of the image.

There are some artifacts worth noting in the image. For the image atlas, moving objects such as asteroids and comets were removed. However, some slower moving, bright objects did leave behind residuals. Residuals of the planets Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter are visible in this image as bright red spots off the plane of the Galaxy at the 1:00, 2:00 and 7:00 positions, respectively. In addition, at several locations in the image there are small rectangular shaped features that result from the difficulty in matching background levels of individual atlas frames.

With the exception of a few Solar System objects, all of the celestial bodies highlighted in previous featured images from WISE are visible in this map. The annotated version of this map shows the locations of about half of the featured images (the rest were omitted for clarity). Clicking on the name of the object in the annotated map above will open a new browser window showing the featured image for that object.

Three of the four wavelengths surveyed by WISE were used to create this image. The colors used in this image represent specific wavelengths of infrared light. Cyan (blue-green) represents light emitted predominantly from stars and galaxies at a wavelength of 3.4 microns. Green and red represent light mostly emitted by dust at 12 and 22 microns, respectively.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/WISE Team

 
       
   
-About the Objects-
Name: The Sky

-About the Images-
Postion of Objects (J2000): RA = 17h 45m 37s; Dec = -28° 56’ 10”

Constellation: All

Field of View: 360 x 360 degrees

Orientation: North is 73.4 degrees to the Left

Color Mapping: Blue=3.4 microns; Cyan=4.6 microns; Green=12 microns; Red=22 microns

 
       
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