4 Mapping the sky

A driving force behind improving telescope technology over hundreds of years has been the desire to make sharper, more detailed images. In other words, to improve the spatial resolution with which we can measure the sky, allowing us to obtain these detailed views of individual objects. But in parallel with these precision views, astronomers have developed the ability to map structure in the sky on scales much larger than individual stars and distant galaxies.

In this section, you will explore astronomical images that span these large areas of sky, allowing us to consider some broader questions about our cosmic surroundings.