Astronomers Discover an Infrared Background Glow in the Universe

ABOUT THIS IMAGE:

This picture represents the brightness of the full sky as seen in infrared light. The bright yellow-orange line across the center of the image arises from interstellar dust in the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy, with the center of the Galaxy at the center of the image. The red color above and below this line shows additional wispy clouds of interstellar dust. The blue S-shaped color arises from interplanetary dust in the solar system. 

Image Type: Astronomical

Credit: M. Hauser (STScI), the COBE/DIRBE Science Team, and NASA

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The above image is part of a montage:

Montage Image: COBE's Infrared View of the Universe Image Type: Astronomical PRC1998-01 COBE's Infrared View of the Universe: Zodiacal Light Removed Image Type: Astronomical COBE's Infrared View of the Universe: Extragalactic Background Image Type: Astronomical

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