A powerful telescope in Chile has captured a detailed image of the center of the Milky Way galaxy, showing a vast region filled with cold gas and cosmic dust where new stars may form. The picture was released Wednesday by the European Southern Observatory and focuses on an area more than 650 light-years wide. Scientists explained that a light-year is about six trillion miles. The image reveals a complex structure near the galaxy’s core, where large clouds of gas move and interact. Astronomers said the observation helps explain what happens in the Central Molecular Zone, an important area near the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.

The image was created using the ALMA telescope network in Chile’s Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth. The observatory combines signals from many antennas to produce highly accurate images with remarkable detail. Researchers conducted a large survey of the region to examine how stars begin to form under extreme conditions. According to survey leader Steve Longmore of Liverpool John Moores University, studying this environment helps scientists understand how galaxies grow and change over time. The research also reveals structures in the gas clouds that were previously invisible, providing new information about the processes that shape galaxies. Astronomers believe continued observations of this region will help explain the history of star formation in the Milky Way and other galaxies throughout the universe.