Atlas of the Milky Way; (a Sky Watchers must)

It may not be much use to hitchhikers through the galaxy, but it is extremely valuable to astronomers: the new radio atlas of the Milky Way.

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A new discovery in the sky: Supernova remnant G178.2-4.2

After almost ten years of work, researchers at the Max Planck Society and the Chinese Academy of Sciences have completed their investigation into the polarised radio emission in the galactic plane. The atlas is based on observations undertaken with the 25-metre radio telescope in the Chinese city of Urumqi and shows an area of 2,200 square degrees of the sky.

The radio survey covers the northern band of the Milky Way between ten and 230 degrees galactic longitude and between minus five and plus five degrees galactic latitude. The comprehensive survey shows the polarised radio emission of our galaxy at five gigahertz (corresponding to a wavelength of six centimetres) and thus at the highest frequency every recorded by terrestrial instruments.

The aim of the project was to map the large-scale magnetic field of the Milky Way. The German and Chinese researchers found a handful of peculiar clumps with very strong, regular magnetic fields (Faraday screens) and two new supernova remnants each measuring around one degree.

The new atlas needed more than 4,500 hours of observations to compile, and its angular resolution is similar to that of the 21-cm wavelength survey of the Milky Way obtained at the 100-metre radio telescope at Effelsberg. The comparative analysis of these two large-scale sky surveys at similar angular resolution leads to a better understanding of the processes occurring in the interstellar medium.

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A further find: the supernova remnant G178.2-4.2

Source: archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com...

Keep plugging away. We will eventually master our Space around us. But, it is ever apparent that it will have to be a world wide cooperational goal.

This all will be so primative someday but for now, the fore-runner of modern Science.

Now, can any of you ATSers make heads or tails of this. Come on-some ATS Space Whiz. Give us the laymans terms of all of this and the impact on Space Exploration.

It all looks good but to who?

I think the old song hitch a ride on a star is what they are looking for.
Use star power to navigate the universe.
So latch on to one of their X-Ray or other signals and we are off.
That might be their way of thinking but I think they are wrong.

I wanted to see the stars but now see it is a different map.
The best is seeing the Milky Way in real life.

Hint: As you move into the darker areas where the EM field is reduced, you will accelerate/leap.

reply to post by anon72


It's definitely valuable to astronomers studying the finer aspects of the Milky Way - supernova remnants, the gases that occupy the vast space between stars...things like that. As the article says, the actual goal was to map the galaxy's magnetic field. In doing this, we can see details of the interstellar medium (and other extremely diffuse gaseous regions - again, such as supernova remnants) that are otherwise unobservable, by detecting how the magnetic field is affected.

Basically, what it does is increase the resolution with which we observe the galaxy, and, in doing so, it allows us to see things we missed before.

reply to post by CLPrime


Thanks for the great reply.

I understand a bit more.

Again, the beginning.... of a long road ahead.

Not too sure about EM fields as explosions of atoms create pressure waves
that move the atoms into lighting up and perhaps promoting K capture.
If a buildup of voltage proceeds we will get X-Rays.