LAMOST data helps solve century-old cosmic puzzle

Chinese and United States astronomers have created the first three-dimensional map of the properties of interstellar dust in the Milky Way, using data from China's Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopy Telescope and European Space Agency's Gaia space observatory.

Published as a cover story in Science on Friday, this cosmic atlas solves a decade-old challenge in astronomy by revealing how interstellar dust dims and reddens starlight across the galaxy.

The breakthrough is poised to revolutionize studies of star formation, exoplanets and potentially the origins of life.