Editing Zone of Avoidance (section)

==Modern developments==
[[File:Galaxymap.com, map 12000 parsecs (2022).png|thumb|300x300px|The limits of observation as visualized by the Milky Way's star density map. Source: [[Gaia (spacecraft)|''Gaia'' spacecraft]]'s 2021 data release]]
Many projects have attempted to bridge the gap in knowledge caused by the Zone of Avoidance. The dust and gas in the Milky Way cause [[Extinction (astronomy)|extinction]] at optical wavelengths, and foreground stars can be confused with background galaxies. However, the effect of extinction drops at longer wavelengths, such as the [[infrared]], and the Milky Way is effectively transparent at radio wavelengths. Surveys in the infrared, such as [[IRAS]] and [[2MASS]], have given a more complete picture of the extragalactic sky. Two very large nearby galaxies, [[Maffei 1]] and [[Maffei 2]], were discovered in the Zone of Avoidance by [[Paolo Maffei]] by their infrared emission in 1968. Even so, approximately 10% of the sky remains difficult to survey as extragalactic objects can be confused with stars in the Milky Way.

Projects to survey the Zone of Avoidance at radio wavelengths, particularly using the [[21 cm line|21&nbsp;cm spin-flip emission line]] of neutral atomic [[hydrogen]] (known in astronomical parlance as [[Hydrogen line|H I line]]), have detected many galaxies that could not be detected in the infrared. Examples of galaxies detected from their HI emission include [[Dwingeloo 1]] and [[Dwingeloo 2]], discovered in 1994 and 1996, respectively.

Recent astronomical studies revealed a supercluster of galaxies, termed the [[Vela Supercluster]], in the [[Great Attractor|Great Attractor's]] theorized location.<ref name="Kraan-Korteweg-2">{{cite Q|Q55892376}}</ref>