The "Big Picture" is a single continuous digital sky image, a cut through the core of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies, derived from the Palomar-Quest digital sky survey. It is reproduced on porcelain tiles as a 152 ft long by 20 ft high back wall of the new exhibit hall at the Griffith Observatory. This website is its home in cyberspace. The image is a window into the distant universe, and it conveys a remarkable richness of the sky... (more)

Latest News

Dec., 2006 - How the Big Picture was made
An article in the Caltech's Engineering & Science magazine,
vol. 69, No. 4, p. 20

Oct. 11, 2006 - Astronomy Picture of the Day
Across the heart of the Virgo Cluster of Galaxies lies a striking
string of galaxies known as Markarian's Chain.


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