| This image represents a mosaic from some of the first scientific data obtained with the Gemini North telescope. These extremely high resolution infra-red images are the sharpest ever taken over such a large area of the galactic center. Also visible is IRS8 (upper right corner), which Gemini revealed for the first time to be a bow-shock as a star moves relative to a dark gas cloud.
The images were obtained using the Gemini North 8-meter telescope and the University of Hawaii's curvature adaptive optics system called Hokupa'a. The data were collected over several nights in July and August 2000. The galactic center is located in the lower right hand corner of the image. Photo Credit: "Gemini Observatory/P. I. Francois Rigaut" |
