NARRATOR: NASA has captured a new infrared image
of the center of our Milky Way galaxy,
revealing details that have never
been seen before.
Scientists have tried for many years to peer
through the dense swirls of dust obscuring
many of the Milky Way's fascinating features.
SOFIA, NASA's telescope on an airplane,
observed our galaxy's center in infrared light,
which is invisible to human eyes
but pierces through the dense dust.
Now, we can see new details in the curves
surrounding the Arches Cluster, the densest
concentration of stars in our galaxy.
Also visible is the Quintuple Cluster, with stars
that are a million times brighter than our Sun.
Our galaxy's supermassive black hole takes shape
with a view of the fiery-looking ring of gas
surrounding it.
NASA created the panorama by combining SOFIA's new,
crisp image with previous data
from the Herschel and Spitzer space telescopes.
Scientists will use the image to study previously hidden
facets of our Milky Way galaxy, including how many
massive stars are forming here and to set targets
for telescopes of the future
like the James Webb Space Telescope.
(Background music swells, then fades out)