Simplified map of Milky Way created

A Harvard University scientist has created what he claims is a simplified, intergalactic map of the Milky Way, based on the London Underground tube map, which displays our galaxy in an accessible way.

Samuel Arbesman’s ‘Milky Way Transit Authority’ is based on the London tube map and uses stars and nebula as the ‘stations’ — the simplified map clearly shows the ‘vast and complex interconnections’ of our galaxy in an easy-to-know way, the Daily Mail reported. The postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University said he tried to make the map as accurate as possible.

“This map is an attempt to approach our galaxy with a bit more familiarity than usual and get people thinking about long-term possibilities in outer space. People ask why I have not marked ‘You Are Here’ on the map — but I think it’s more humbling to realise that we aren’t the centre of the universe.

“I did the map to make something that is extremely complex a bit more familiar to people — every stop is about a thousand lights years away. Hopefully it can provide a useful shorthand for our place in the Milky Way,” he said.