Researchers spot hundreds of galaxies hidden behind Milky Way

The Milky Way has been obstructing quite the view.

A team of researchers recently used a radio telescope to peek through the stars and dust of the Milky Way and catch a glimpse of hundreds of galaxies in a previously “unexplored region of space.”

The team found 883 galaxies using the Australia-based Parkes telescope, a third of which were previously undiscovered, according to a statement from the lead author, Lister Staveley-Smith, of the University of Western Australia.

“The Milky Way is very beautiful of course, and it’s very interesting to study our own galaxy, but it completely blocks out the view of the more distant galaxies behind it,” he said.

According to the study, published in the Astronomical Journal on Tuesday, the galaxies are 250 million light years from Earth.

Staveley-Smith said the discovery could help researchers understand the “Great Attractor,” a region of space that is drawing the Milky Way and other galaxies towards it at mind-numbing speeds.

“We don’t actually understand what’s causing this gravitational acceleration on the Milky Way or where it’s coming from,” he said in a statement.

The team believes they may be able to better understand the movement of the Milky Way by studying three newly discovered galaxy concentrations, called NW1, NW2 and NW3, and two new clusters dubbed CW1 and CW2.

Gallery: Big moments in space exploration

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