Nine-billion-pixel Milky Way

Credit: ESO/VVV Survey/D. Minniti/Ignacio Toledo/Martin Kornmesser

Measuring a staggering 108 000 by 82 000 pixels, this VISTA telescope mosaic of the central parts of our Milky Way galaxy is one of the largest astronomical images ever produced, covering approximately 20 x 15 degrees on the sky, equivalent to 1500 full moons.