
Follow us on Twitter (opens in new tab) or on Facebook (opens in new tab). The annotated artist's concept illustrates the new view of the Milky Way.

Previously, our galaxy was thought to possess four major arms. Our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography can also help you prepare to capture the next skywatching sight on your own.Įditor's Note : If you snap a photo of star clusters and would like to share it with 's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to Brett on Twitter at (opens in new tab). Using infrared images from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, scientists have discovered that the Milky Way's elegant spiral structure is dominated by just two arms wrapping off the ends of a central bar of stars. Analyze how the terrain around a city influences the visibility of the Milky Way. If you're looking for a telescope or binoculars with which to observe the star clusters of the Milky Way, our guides for the best binoculars deals and the best telescope deals now can help. Determine where the Milky Way can be seen at points around a city.

To spot these clusters in Thursday's night sky, first locate them with binoculars, then use a telescope at low magnification to get a closer look. The total number in the whole galaxy is huge: about a hundred.

Looking for a telescope to see Milky Way star clusters? We recommend the Celestron Astro Fi 102 (opens in new tab)as the top pick in our best beginner's telescope guide.Īstronomers use open clusters to study star evolution, as most stars in these clusters tend to be young, cosmically speaking most of the open clusters in the Milky Way are younger than 1 billion years old. The Milky Way itself, that band of diffuse light across the sky, is millions of unresolved stars.
