The galactic center and the Arches. Click for a larger version (109k). Image: ESO, Digitized Sky Survey 2 & S. Guisard

Here is a beautiful image towards the center of the Milky Way from the ESO.  We are looking around 25,000 light-years away.

In the rough center of the image ther is a cloud with a bluish “center”, that is known as the Arches Cluster, click here to see a close up (Image: ESO/P. Espinoza).  The Arches Cluster is quite close to the galactic center and is comprised in part, of about a thousand or so of very young stars that are quite massive.  In fact the Arches Cluster is the densest cluster of massive young stars.  The cluster is only about three light-years across and according to the press release has more than a thousand stars contained in a cubic light-year.

Read the press release for more info and also get more images.