358-campanas-survey-dixon – Volume of Universe Explored by Campanas Survey - This cosmological diagram illustrates the observational limits imposed by interstellar dust within our galaxy when mapping large-scale cosmic structures. A central, horizontal purple disk containing a beautifully rendered spiral galaxy represents the plane of the Milky Way, where dense gas and dust clouds obscure deep-space observations. Two transparent, cone-shaped wedges of light, colored in gradients of blue and magenta, project perpendicularly outward from the galactic core, mapping narrow "zones of avoidance" windows where telescopes can successfully survey distant fields of galaxies, galaxy clusters, and the deep cosmic web. digital painting for Scientific American, © Don Dixon
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