This is not a sunset but a false color infrared image of the center of our galaxy. Blue seems to represent short infrared wavelengths (probably 13 micrometers or about 4/100,000 of an inch), while reds and yellows correspond to longer ones (100 micrometers). The “line” of yellow-coded light traces the galactic disk where the dust and gas in large part reside. Although most of the infrared radiation near the Galactic Center is from dust and gas, stars also produce short infrared wavelengths (about 2 micrometers).
    The Galactic Center shows up so well in infrared light because of the thick band of dust and gas—the “Great Rift”—in the galaxy’s disk. The Great Rift is much like the dust lanes in other galaxies (see