The Milky Way appears above Earth’s bright atmospheric glow in this Aug. 23, 2025, photograph from the International Space Station as it soared 261 miles above southern Iran at approximately 12:54 a.m. local time. The camera was configured for low light and long duration settings.
Our home galaxy has hundreds of billions of stars, enough gas and dust to make billions more stars, and at least ten times as much dark matter as all the stars and gas put together. NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope – slated to launch no later than May 2027 – will help scientists better understand the gas and dust strewn between stars in our galaxy, known as the interstellar medium.
Image credit: NASA; JAXA
2025年8月23日，国际空间站飞越伊朗南部上空261英里（约420公里）处时拍摄下这幅照片，画面中银河壮丽地展现在地球明亮的大气辉光之上。拍摄时间约为当地凌晨12点54分，相机设置为低光与长时间曝光模式。
我们的银河系拥有数千亿颗恒星，蕴含足以孕育数十亿颗新星的气体与尘埃，其暗物质量更是已知恒星与气体总和的十倍以上。预计不晚于2027年5月发射的NASA南希·格蕾丝·罗曼太空望远镜，将帮助科学家更深入地理解散布在恒星之间的星际介质——这些气体与尘埃构成了银河系演化的重要基石。
图片来源: NASA; JAXA
