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7h ago

Astronomers Unveil Largest Low-Frequency Radio Color Map of the Milky Way

Data from GLEAM plus GLEAM‑X were fused with Pawsey supercomputers to separate supernova remnants from star‑forming regions at low radio frequencies.

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Astronomers have created a new colorized radio view of the Milky Way's galactic plane.
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Overview

  • The new mosaic spans 72–231 MHz and covers about 95% of the Milky Way visible from the southern hemisphere.
  • Compared with the 2019 GLEAM map, it delivers twice the resolution, ten times the sensitivity, and double the sky area.
  • Researchers cataloged roughly 98,000 radio sources across the Southern Galactic Plane, including H II regions, planetary nebulae, pulsars, and distant galaxies.
  • Curtin University PhD student Silvia Mantovanini assembled the image over 18 months on Pawsey supercomputers, with reports citing on the order of one million CPU hours.
  • Built from MWA observations on Wajarri Yamaji Country and published in PASA, the dataset constitutes the first published low‑frequency image of the full Southern Galactic Plane, with only the upcoming SKA‑Low expected to surpass it.