Explanation: What's black & white and red all over? Add our universe to this list. Adrift in a vast sea of darkness are not only familiar bright stars but dust that glows predominantly in far-infrared light. This cosmological dust was recently discovered in data taken previously by the COBE satellite, and visible as a diffuse glow visible in the above image. The amount of dust in the universe is important because it is a measure of the number of stars that created it, of the number of stars that are cloaked by it, and of the amount of distortion created in measurements of the distant universe.
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
|
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: dust - universe - cosmic microwave background radiation
Publications with words: dust - universe - cosmic microwave background radiation
See also:
- APOD: 2024 December 1 Á Cosmic Latte: The Average Color of the Universe
- APOD: 2024 October 20 Á Dark Matter in a Simulated Universe
- APOD: 2024 September 29 Á Seven Dusty Sisters
- The Dark Seahorse of Cepheus
- NGC 7023: The Iris Nebula
- APOD: 2024 July 1 Á Time Spiral
- APOD: 2024 January 29 Á The Pleiades: Seven Dusty Sisters