This object, located in the constellation of Sagittarius, is a relatively dust-free region looking at the center galactic bulge of our Milky Way galaxy. It is named for astronomer Walter Baade, who frequently used it to study distant central bulge stars. Described by various writers as a "window", a "peephole" and a "portal" into the center of our galaxy, I had high expectations as I looked forward to imaging this object. Alas, although it is neat that it is probably the brightest visible patch of the Milky Way, I don't think it quite lives up to its nicknames that imply some sort of unique view into the heart of our galaxy.

The globular star cluster NGC 6522 is in the exact center of the image. This cluster is located 20,000 light years away from us. and is one of the most compact globular clusters. Some scientists believe that this is the oldest star cluster in our Milky Way.

Baade's Window is the 1° diameter region centered on NGC 6522. To me, it looks like brightest area of the "window" is actually slightly to the right and below the cluster. I tried to be very careful in processing this image to make sure that I preserved the variation in lightness of the region due to the presence of intergalactic dust. The majority of the images I have seen of this region have such a high brightness and contrast that the entire area looks washed out.

NGC 6528 is the smaller star cluster 20' above NGC 6522 in the image. This cluster is slightly further away, at 26,000 light years, and is slightly reddened by the presence of dust, as compared to its larger neighbor. The dark nebula Barnard 298 is just above and to the left of this small cluster. The star asterism NGC 6519 is to the right and below the center of the image.

The low southerly declination of this object (-30 degrees) makes it difficult for many of us in the northern hemisphere to image clearly. Please check out the full resolution version of this image, which shows this region of the sky more clearly.