Discover New Horizons: Stunning New Galactic Map Unveiled | Space Photo of the Day – April 30, 2025

A groundbreaking study from NASA’s New Horizons team has produced the first ultraviolet map of the Milky Way, revealing fascinating insights about our solar system’s surroundings.

This map, created using data from New Horizons, illustrates the ultraviolet “Lyman-alpha” background around our Sun. It sheds light on the relatively uniform brightness that exists in this area.

Dr. Randy Gladstone of the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) emphasized, “Understanding the Lyman-alpha background helps us learn about nearby galactic structures.” His research indicates that the hot interstellar gas bubbles, like the one enclosing our solar system, might actually be regions of enhanced hydrogen emissions detected at the Lyman-alpha wavelength.

Lyman-alpha is a specific wavelength of ultraviolet light emitted by hydrogen atoms. It is crucial for studying distant stars and galaxies, providing data about their composition, temperature, and movement.

The map highlights about 90,000 known UV-bright stars scattered across our galaxy. This information is vital for astronomers seeking to understand more about our cosmic neighborhood.

Originally, New Horizons set out to explore Pluto. After completing its primary mission, the probe continued its journey, utilizing its ultraviolet spectrograph, named “Alice,” to survey Lyman-alpha emissions across the sky. In 2023, it mapped approximately 83% of the sky, gathering crucial data for this study.

One of the most exciting revelations is the absence of a theorized “wall” of interstellar hydrogen atoms at the edge of our heliosphere—the region where the solar wind meets the interstellar medium. Previous hypotheses suggested this wall would be a significant source of Lyman-alpha emissions. However, the New Horizons data challenge these notions.

Dr. Alan Stern, the mission’s principal investigator, remarked, “These observations provide a clear view of the sky surrounding our solar system and challenge previous theories.” The findings from this Lyman-alpha map will pave the way for future research, expanding our understanding of the cosmos.

If you’re curious to dive deeper into this topic and explore other findings from the New Horizons mission, check out the [scientific paper in The Astronomical Journal](https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/adc000).

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