The hidden chemistry at the heart of the Milky Way
On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti
WBUR
4.3 • 3.9K Ratings
🗓️ 12 May 2026
⏱️ 44 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Scientists have taken the largest ever image of the Milky Way. The image shows spectacular detail of our home in the universe, and offers scientists a color-coded guide to some of the most mysterious corners of our galaxy.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, it's Willis, a producer here at On Point. |
| 0:05.0 | One of my favorite parts about being a producer here is hearing from you, our listeners, |
| 0:10.0 | about the show. |
| 0:11.0 | What you like, what you thought of our guests, what you thought of what they had to say, and |
| 0:15.0 | what topics you hope will cover. |
| 0:17.0 | And what I love about the new On Point Club is that we're going to have more opportunities |
| 0:21.5 | to share what's behind the scenes and how we put the show together for you. |
| 0:25.7 | If you're not a member of the On Point Club yet, click on the link in the episode description |
| 0:30.0 | to sign up. |
| 0:31.5 | For seven bucks a month, you'll get first access to the jackpot each week, other exclusive |
| 0:36.2 | content, and you'll be the first to know about special live events. |
| 0:40.8 | Now stick around for today's show. |
| 0:48.2 | WBUR Podcasts, Boston. |
| 0:59.4 | This is on point. I'm Magna Chakra-Bardi. |
| 1:05.6 | The way we look at the cosmos has come a very long way since the first images taken through light-refracting telescopes. |
| 1:09.3 | Here on Mount Hamilton, some 70 miles south of San Francisco, |
| 1:13.6 | Lick Observatory astronomers entered a new era of heavenly exploration, |
| 1:18.6 | probing deeper than ever before into the secrets of space. |
| 1:22.6 | Their tool was this towering telescope with its 36-inch lens, |
| 1:26.6 | truly a giant in its day. |
| 1:29.4 | Looking through the eyepiece, astronomers have studied mysteries of the universe that stirred the awe and imagination of men for centuries. |
| 1:38.0 | A 1965 newsreel describing the Lick Observatory in California. |
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