A team of Boston University astronomers recently discovered nearly 100 new star clusters, containing hundreds of undiscovered stars, in an effort to further outline the Milky Way galaxy.

Astronomy professor Dan Clemens, doctoral student Emily Mercer and other researchers in the BU Institute for Astrophysical Research took part in the Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire project, one of six projects taking place using NASA’s Spitzer Telescope.

“GLIMPSE is a multi-institutional team,” Clemens said. “Professor Edward Churchwell of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, along with other researchers, developed the concept of the project, wrote the proposal, won in the competition and became the team that was allowed to design the program, execute the project and make the observations.”

Clemens said getting a clear picture of other galaxies is often times easier than getting a clear picture of the Milky Way galaxy.

“You can see cool things looking at the spiral arms of the galaxy and see patterns in the stars,” he said. “When looking at other galaxies, you look at the galaxy face down and it looks like thin disks. The problem is looking at our own galaxy, the Milky Way, because it is impossible to get a view of it face down, making it tough to locate spiral arms.”

Clemens said the team was able to reveal almost 100 new star clusters using heat-seeking infrared technology aboard the Spitzer Telescope. The technology used to discover the majority of the clusters utilized automated computer routines Mercer developed.

In addition to revealing hundreds of hidden star clusters, Mercer said she discovered that in the Earth’s southern hemisphere, there are nearly twice as many star clusters visible than in the northern hemisphere. Mercer said she believes this discovery will reveal the location of the Milky Way’s spiral arms to astronomers.

Both Clemens and Mercer said these new clusters will help astronomers more accurately depict the organization of the Milky Way and ascertain where the stars are located in the galaxy.

“This is a great success for the team,” Mercer said, “and will help astronomers to better understand star formation and the structure of our Galaxy.”

Students say the new discovery will increase the publicity of the university’s astronomy department.

“This will give Boston University more prestige as additional science institutions will want to be further involved with our school,” College of Arts and Sciences freshman Renee Mikorski said. “It’s cool knowing that there’s not only teaching and learning going on here, but that the school is actively involved in the field.”