With my layman's eyes, it is very clear that there is a dense galactic center and dust clouds between the galaxy and us. However, What else can an expert eye tell from the picture?
With better high resolution images recently we've also been able to see confirmation of Gravitational Lensing [0] which reveal superstructures in space-time that affect the images we see. (i.e. with lower resolution we might've assumed we're seeing multiple distinct stars, with better resolution we understand that it's the same)
For example, we just discovered the first "Einstein Zig Zag". [1]
Ultimately, understanding the gravitational structure of space-time is the key to understanding dark matter which is arguably the biggest mystery of the universe today (besides dark energy).