Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. The Galactic plane is horizontal, passing through the Galactic center in the middle of the picture, as indicated by the superposed coordinate grid. The radioactive Al26 clouds are seen to lie in clumps near the plane, with some slightly above and below it. Because they are generally thought to be associated with short lived massive stars, the radioactive clouds are expected to be located near sites of recent star formation .
Specific rights apply.