Unveiling the secrets of our Milky Way galaxy

Over 70 sources of very high energy gamma rays, including 16 previously undiscovered ones, have been catalogued in a survey of the Milky Way.

A multinational team of astronomers involving the University of Adelaide have surveyed the Milky Way for the past 15 years using the High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS) telescopes in Namibia. HESS is a system of four 13-metre diameter and one 28m diameter telescopes sensitive to gamma rays.

Gamma rays have 100 billion times more energy than optical light and can be used to trace the origins of cosmic rays, elusive charged particles which are an important ingredient in the evolution of the Universe.

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_{Image credit: H.E.S.S Collaboration}