The Zone of Avoidance (ZOA) is the area of the night sky that is obscured by our own galaxy, the Milky Way.
Dust and stars in the plane of the Milky Way (the galactic plane) block our view of about 20% of the sky at visible wavelengths. As a result, optical galaxy catalogues are usually very incomplete close to the galactic plane.
A: The Zone of Avoidance is the area of the night sky that is obscured by our own galaxy, the Milky Way.
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.
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.
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.
A: Optical galaxy catalogues are usually very incomplete close to the galactic plane.
A: About 20% of the sky is obscured by 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.
