|
A map of stars in the outer regions of the Milky Way Galaxy, derived from the SDSS images
of the northern sky, shown in a Mercator-like projection. The color indicates the
distance of the stars, while the intensity indicates the density of stars on the sky.
Structures visible in this map include streams of stars torn from the Sagittarius dwarf
galaxy, a smaller 'orphan' stream crossing the Sagittarius streams, the 'Monoceros Ring'
that encircles the Milky Way disk, trails of stars being stripped from the globular
cluster Palomar 5, and excesses of stars found towards the constellations Virgo and
Hercules. Circles enclose new Milky Way companions discovered by the SDSS; two of these
are faint globular star clusters, while the others are faint dwarf galaxies.
|