New images from the Spitzer Space Telescope survey GLIMPSE360 have revealed a treasure trove of gems scattered around the suburbs of the Milky Way, including some unexpectedly massive young stars.
The new survey is an extension of the original GLIMPSE (Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire) that focused on the Galaxy's bustling hub of stars and black hole embedded in the centre. Now the attention shifts to the suburbs, where the remaining half of the Milky Way's disc out to its edge will fall under scrutiny.
"It's like looking into the wilderness of our Galaxy," says Barbara Whitney, principal investigator for the survey. "While mapping the stars and dust out there, we hope to answer some major questions about an environment that is very different from the inner Milky Way."
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