Carbon monoxide in the cosmos mapped for the first time

Planck all-sky carbon monoxide map (ESA/Planck collaboration)

This is the first-ever all-sky map of carbon monoxide in the cosmos. The Planck space telescope was designed to look at the background glow in the cosmos in an effort to understand how it formed. Coincidentally, scientists have found, it can help spot star-forming regions where carbon monoxide glows brightly despite its low abundance.