Abu Dhabi astronomers capture Milky Way using infrared imaging

Astronomers at the International Astronomical Center (IAC) have successfully photographed a section of the Milky Way from the urban center of Abu Dhabi. By utilizing infrared imaging and digital processing, the team was able to penetrate cosmic dust and mitigate the effects of significant city light pollution.

The resulting image captures a broad section of one of the Milky Way’s arms, including much of the Scorpius constellation and large portions of Sagittarius, directed toward the galactic center located approximately 26,000 light-years from Earth. Mohammed Shawkat Awda, Director of the IAC, noted that infrared wavelengths allowed dense stellar fields to emerge that are typically obscured by dust in visible light.

To achieve the image, researchers used a highly sensitive monochrome astronomical camera paired with an infrared filter. The final photograph was created by digitally stacking 180 individual 10-second frames, totaling 30 minutes of exposure. A wide-field lens was employed to capture the sky alongside local landmarks, such as the Mohammed bin Rashid Tower. While the experiment demonstrated that modern digital imaging can record astronomical details from within cities, the IAC noted that urban environments remain no substitute for dark astronomical sites.