Scientists release the largest map of the night sky to date

Scientists have unveiled the largest ever image of the night sky on Tuesday, presenting our universe as never seen before. The public is free to access the sky map, which has been described as one of the biggest giveaways in the history of science.

The picture is a result of relentless efforts of the international Sloan Digital Sky Survey-III (SDSS-III), and is available for all to use. Both professional astronomers and amateur star-gazers can make new discoveries through this picture. Scientists pieced together more than 7 million images of 280 pixels obtained over the past decade, creating the largest night sky image ever with more than one trillion pixels.