The Infrared Universe - Milky Way

Open and read the Our Galaxy - The Milky Way article about how infrared radiation is used to view and study the Milky Way Galaxy.

Text-Dependent Questions

  • According to the article, about what percent of the light radiated by the Milky Way Galaxy is Infrared Radiation?
  • Explain in your own words, why we can view the center of the galaxy using infrared light, but not with optical (visible) light?
  • Cameras that capture infrared radiation will soon be used to study space on the new James Webb Space Telescope. Using evidence from the pages on this website, write a brief paragraph arguing whether this technology is a good way to study the Universe. Include details about what we can and cannot learn using infrared cameras.