What is the Zone of Avoidance?
Q: What is the Zone of Avoidance?
A: The Zone of Avoidance is the area of the night sky that is obscured by our own galaxy, the Milky Way.
Q: Why is the Zone of Avoidance significant?
A: The Zone of Avoidance is significant because it blocks our view of about 20% of the sky at visible wavelengths, making optical galaxy catalogues incomplete near the galactic plane.
Q: What obscures our view of the night sky in the Zone of Avoidance?
A: Dust and stars in the plane of the Milky Way (the galactic plane) obscure our view of the night sky in the Zone of Avoidance.
Q: What is the galactic plane?
A: The galactic plane is the plane in which the Milky Way is located, which blocks our view of the night sky in the Zone of Avoidance.
Q: What types of catalogues are incomplete near the galactic plane?
A: Optical galaxy catalogues are usually very incomplete close to the galactic plane.
Q: How much of the sky is obscured by the Zone of Avoidance?
A: About 20% of the sky is obscured by the Zone of Avoidance.
Q: What can be done to study galaxies in the Zone of Avoidance?
A: To study galaxies in the Zone of Avoidance, astronomers can use other wavelengths of light, such as radio waves, which are not blocked by the galactic plane.
