ISTANBUL

Researchers have revealed the first three-dimensional (3D) map of the properties of interstellar dust in the Milky Way Galaxy, Xinhua News reported Friday.

The breakthrough will play a crucial role in enhancing precise astronomical observations and advancing research in astrochemistry and galactic evolution.

The research was led by Zhang Xiangyu, a Chinese doctoral student at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany, in partnership with his advisor, Dr. Gregory Green.

It was based on data from China's Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) and the European Space Agency's Gaia space observatory.

Most elements heavier than hydrogen and helium in the interstellar medium, the matter and radiation in the space between stars, are found in the form of solid dust particles.

Dust absorbs and scatters starlight, causing distant stars to appear dimmer and redder in a phenomenon called "extinction." As a result, most astronomical observations need to account for the extinction correction.

By combining accurate stellar parameters from LAMOST (Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope) with low-resolution spectroscopic survey data from Gaia, researchers created the first comprehensive catalog that outlines the absorption and scattering effects of interstellar dust for more than 130 million stars.

Using the catalog, astronomers have successfully created a 3D map of dust distribution and properties throughout the Milky Way, extending up to 16,308 light-years from Earth.