The 7 Wonders of the Milky Way

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From a survey of Astronomy subscribers, the 7 Wonders of the Milky Way are these must-see deep sky objects in the night sky that lie within the confines of our galaxy:

The Orion Nebula (M42)

The Pleiades (M45)

The Ring Nebula (M57)

The Crab Nebula (M1)

The Horsehead Nebula (B33)

The Omega Centauri (NGC 5139), and

The Eagle Nebula (M16).

The link below is a computer-generated image of the Milky Way, which shows the entire galaxy in one perspective of a 3-D model compiled specially for National Geographic. The model incorporates the positions of hundreds of thousands of stars and nebulae (including a few of the seven above-mentioned) within the galaxy, shows Earth’s location, and includes additional photographs, descriptions and locations of fascinating phenomena throughout the Milky Way:

http://maps.nationalgeographic.com/maps/print-collection/milky-way.html

Credit: Astronomy, National Geographic.