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Image Gallery > Featured Image on October 28, 2009

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The one constant in the Universe: StarDate magazine
Gamma-Ray Sky 
Gamma-Ray Sky 
This view of the universe shows the brightest sources of gamma rays, which are the most energetic form of radiation in the universe. Most of the activity is clustered along the plane of our home galaxy, the Milky Way (red band across the center). Individual objects include the Crab Nebula and a star system known as Geminga (far right edge), and a galaxy about 233 million light-years away known as NGC 1275 (at left, below the band of the Milky Way). Gamma rays are produced by some of the most powerful objects in the universe, including exploding stars and superhot disks of gas around black holes. This image was compiled by the space-based Fermi telescope. [NASA/DOE/Fermi] For more information, see our October 28 program about the gamma-ray sky.

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