Brightest 60,000 optically selected galaxies, plotted in equatorial (RA DEC) coordinates. The Milky Way zone of avoidance is very clear.
2MASS (2 micron all-sky survey) in equatorial coordinates showing the location of galaxies. At 2 microns, the zome of avoidance is much less pronounced, though it is still noticable, especially towards the galactic center (which lies towards the periphery of the figure).