The Milky Way's Reflection Shines on Surface of the Moon in Stunning New Image

[Judi Lynn]

By Samantha Mathewson, Space.com Contributor | November 20, 2018 11:43am ET

- click for image -

https://img.purch.com/h/1400/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zcGFjZS5jb20vaW1hZ2VzL2kvMDAwLzA4MC85ODgvb3JpZ2luYWwvbWlsa3ktd2F5LXJlZmxlY3Rpb24tbW9vbi1zdXJmYWNlLmpwZw==

The Milky Way's reflection is cast across the surface of the moon.
Credit: Dr Ben McKinley, Curtin University/ICRAR/ASTRO 3D. Moon image courtesy of NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University


Radio waves from our Milky Way galaxy are reflected across the surface of the moon in a stunning new image.

Using the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) radio telescope in the Western Australian desert, astronomers modeled this stunning view of the Milky Way's radio waves cast across the moon. Researchers will use this measurement to very precisely measure the patch of sky covered by the moon, which will let them eventually detect extremely faint emissions from hydrogen atoms to help see how the first stars and galaxies of the early universe evolved, the research team said in a statement.

"Before there were stars and galaxies, the universe was pretty much just hydrogen, floating around in space," Benjamin McKinley, lead astronomer of the study from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), said in the statement. "Since there are no sources of the optical light visible to our eyes, this early stage of the universe is known as the 'cosmic dark ages.'" [Stunning Photos of Our Milky Way Galaxy (Gallery)]

The new image is actually comprised of measurements from the MWA's lunar observations, as well as the Global Sky Model — a map of diffuse galactic radio emission published in 2008. Using computer modeling, the Global Sky Model was mapped onto the face of the moon, allowing astronomers to calculate the average brightness from the Milky Way that would reflect off its surface.

More:
https://www.space.com/42496-milky-way-reflection-moon-early-universe.html?utm_source=notification

[scarletlib]

1. Beautiful.

[Ferrets are Cool]

2. Reminds me of one of my favorite anime characters...

Go Koro-sensei

[Kind of Blue]

3. Amazing image/video and the information

that will come from it.

[Tanuki]

4. Looks like the little prince's planet

[sharedvalues]

5. Ha Viridis colormap