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The map shows the total brightness and colour of 1.7 billion stars observed by ESA's Gaia mission in the sky between summer 2014 and spring 2016. The image is dominated by the galactic plane which in turn is partially obscured by darker regions of interstellar dust and gas. Many of these dust and gas pockets host stellar nurseries where new generations of stars are being born. Many open and globular clusters of stars are seen around the image, as well as several neighbouring galaxies such as Large and Small Magellanic Clouds.
-- Copyright: ESA/Gaia/DPAC, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
ESA's site hosts the original 800 megapixel uncompressed image: https://sci.esa.int/web/gaia/-/60196-gaia-s-sky-in-colour-equirectangular-projection
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Welcome to Earth! It's a planet having an iron core, with two-thirds of its surface covered by water. Earth orbits a local star called the Sun, the light of which generates the food supply for all the millions of species of life on earth. The dominant species on Earth is the human being, and you're one of the six billion of them! Humans have iron in their blood, and their bodies are composed of two-thirds water, just like the planet they live on. The physical composition of the Earth, its people and everything on it contains an electro-magnetic field which is not yet fully understood. Theories and legends about the origin of Earth, people and life itself abound, however they are not commonly discussed. The bulk of earth's people spend their time immersed in daily activities, leaving the big questions for later. "Who are we? Where did we come from? Where are we going? How will we get there?" Many religions and philosophies have attempted to answer these questions over the years, but so far none has given an answer that everyone on the planet can accept. In contrast to all the disagreement, the similarities among people on earth are far, far greater than any differences. Welcome again to Earth! Enjoy your stay, and try to stay calm.