Massive image of Milky Way sets new photographic record

Updated
Massive Image Of Milky Way Contains 46 Billion Pixels
Massive Image Of Milky Way Contains 46 Billion Pixels



Our galaxy is massive, yet astronomers at Germany's Ruhr-Universität Bochum have managed to pack an impressive amount of it into a single photo.

That picture contains about 46 billion pixels and has a file size of nearly 200 gigabytes. The primary objective in gathering the many images used in its making was to track light changes throughout the Milky Way.

When levels noticeably differ, that's often a sign that a celestial body is passing by. In fact, most of what we know about far-off planets was discovered using that method.

Part of the tracking process involved 5 years of regularly taking pictures of the 268 zones established by the researchers. Hundreds of them were put together, resulting in the largest astronomical picture ever made.

Thankfully, they also created a tool that makes it both viewable and searchable on their website.

For more incredible images of space, scroll through the gallery below:



More from AOL.com:
Robin Thicke's 'Blurred Lines' deposition unsealed: "I was high and drunk"
A 2003 Sofia Vergara interview with Bill Cosby is resurfacing -- and it's cringe-worthy
How a group of internet vigilantes got Subway to change its sandwiches forever

Advertisement