Yesterday, April 25, 2018, the European Space Agency released the second release of the data set collected by the Gaia space telescope into the public domain. This is a special apparatus, which is designed for a panoramic observation of all 360 o of the celestial sphere in the optical range.
Assembling the Gaia Telescope
It uses a wide-angle lens (which, of course, is a simplified description, there are actually several lenses at different angles and focal points), and unlike, say, the Hubble telescope, which aims at a very narrow area of the sky in order to clearly observe a particular star or galaxy. this one takes pictures of several million stars at once. And he has been doing this continuously, for the past five years. And, most importantly, it does not orbit around the Earth, like the Hubble telescope, but is located at the L2 Lagrange point. A very populated place today, this is where the most powerful space telescope James Webb, which will replace Hubble in 2019, will go. picture of parallax of each particular star.
As a result, something like such a scheme comes out, although in the video, of course, modeling, and even exaggerated in the effects for clarity. In reality, the displacement of stars is absolutely scanty, very good optics and computer processing are needed. Therefore, these maps can only be built by space telescopes, atmospheric inhomogeneities completely nullify all the efforts of any terrestrial telescopes, and the parallax method from the Earth can measure the distance only to the nearest 10,000 stars or so.
But when observing from space, where nothing interferes, you can very accurately calculate the position of a star not only in the sky, in a plane, but also in 3D, that is, build a good three-dimensional map of our section of the galaxy. In 2016, Gaia made the first test release, in which the coordinates of two million nearby stars were, and now has laid out an archive containing already data on 1.7 billion stars in our galaxy.
New refined image of our Milky Way galaxy
It's very good that the data is publicly available. Available for all mankind, for any particular person. I will not be surprised that beautiful 3D videos or even interactive 3D maps will appear in the near future, the past simulation was based on the position of something.
In general, this is a very correct and necessary undertaking - to lay out scientific data in the public domain. Not those beautiful pictures that are published for the general public, and which are only suitable for pulling on the desktop, but a real array of scientific data. So that anyone who has access to the Internet could at least check what these scientists have intended there, and even put forward some theory himself, or even commit scientific discovery based on data processing by their own numerical methods. Which, by the way, happens periodically.
It is remarkable that we are gradually refining the map of the Milky Way galaxy, let me remind you that 1.7 billion stars is a tiny part of it, less than 2%. In total, according to various estimates, there are from 100 to 400 billion stars in our galaxy. And in the observable Universe there are no less the same or approximately similar galaxies.
By the way, cartography is not a cheap pleasure these days. The cost of the Gaia mission is approximately $ 1 billion and is planned to last until at least 2020. In addition to the position of the stars of our galaxy, Gaia will also help to obtain a more accurate map of nearby galaxies, and has already compiled an updated catalog (about 14,000) of asteroids in our Solar System. The Gaia Space Telescope was launched from the Kuru Cosmodrome using a Soyuz launch vehicle and a Fregat Upper Stage in 2013.
P.S. By the way, connoisseurs should note that the above picture of the galaxy is upside down. What I found with a quick googling, I inserted this into the post. The two white spots on the top and on the left are satellite galaxies of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, they are usually located below, under the disk of the galaxy, but go figure out where in space is "above" and where is "below". Now scientists have accepted that where the North Pole of the Earth points, there is the North Pole (that is, the top) of the ecliptic plane of the Solar System. There is the "top" of the Milky Way galaxy, but it's all under tricky angles, and in general conventions, so ...
> Collision of galaxies. Computer 3D model
Consider quality 3D model of a collision of galaxies: simulation of consequences, online fusion process, collision of central black holes.
Who knows how many unsolved secrets and mysteries are hidden in the unknown and boundless space? People are not destined to unravel them to the end, even knowledge about the native Solar System is rather limited, it is just a speck of dust floating surrounded by endless star clusters. For many thousands of years, mankind has been striving to find out all the secrets of the Universe, he even managed to comprehend some truths, but this knowledge is too limited and superficial.
Numerous sail slowly in cold space, sometimes they happen collisions, the scale of which is even difficult to imagine for an ordinary person. This, without exaggeration, is a phenomenon of universal magnitude and significance, hardly comparable in its spectacle with anything in this world.
The aftermath of a collision of galaxies
When a collision of two galaxies occurs, the release of energy accompanying this process cannot be comprehended by the human mind. As a result, the two giants, merged into one, begin to glow with redoubled power. This event is extremely long from a human point of view and can last for several billion years - naturally, for this reason, scientists are deprived of the opportunity to observe the entire process of fusion from the very beginning to its completion. Fortunately, modern computer technology makes it possible to simulate the moment collision of galaxies shortening it hundreds of thousands of times.
Model of a collision of galaxies on a computer monitor
Attention! Use the mouse pointer to change the angle.
Everyone now has the opportunity to admire the interactive process of colliding galaxies in 3D resolution. The new application allows you to observe the attraction of two galactic nuclei, which are, as a result of which a fascinating cosmic round dance begins. A number of star systems leave the newly formed galaxy, and continue their endless path in the Universe - the program shows them in the form of colored dots.
Animated image of a collision of galaxies
Controlling a program that simulates a collision of galaxies
All navigation of the program that simulates the collision of galaxies is carried out with the mouse - you can change the angle by moving it in the program window, the scale is changed by a simple movement of the wheel. To reset the simulation and start the process over, click the mouse button.
This application allows you to plunge deeper into the secrets of the universe and even imagine the possible global consequences of the collision of two giants - and the Milky Way.
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> >> Map of the Milky Way What does detailed Milky Way map: structure and composition of the galaxy, location of the center and arms of the spiral, black hole Sagittarius A *, where the Sun is located. It is quite difficult to create a map of a place if you cannot leave its limits and look from the side. The process becomes even more complicated if we talk about such a large-scale concept as Milky Way map... We have to peer through the haze of gas and dust to see the distant stars of our galaxy. For a long time, our galaxy was perceived as a spiral type with a bar and four arms: Square, Perseus, Centauri Shield and Sagittarius. But recent data have shown only two arms, making Sagittarius and Nagonnik minor offshoots. lives in Orion, located between Sagittarius and Perseus. We exist in a disc that spans 100,000 light years across. In its center there is a protrusion (12000-16000 light years), inside which * is hidden. The rest of the disc regions are 2,300-2,600 light-years across. Below is a top-down map of the Milky Way galaxy.
The first image shows how the galaxy would look when viewed from above. In addition, there are many maps created from the perspective of the terrestrial observer. The various regions are marked on the galactic map, named after the constellation to which they belong. You can also find an interactive option and imagine yourself as a space traveler. Moreover, our site provides such an opportunity. Use the virtual map of the Milky Way to travel across the galaxy and explore the stars, clusters and constellations on your own. Screenshot from the application Want to watch the Milky Way online? A new visualization service from Google, called 100,000 stars, allows us to take excursions in our space environs, both independently and through an interactive tour. There is also detailed information about the luminaries closest to us. Knowledge of English is essential, but even if you don't know it, you can listen to relaxing music and watch beautiful space animation. Galaxy travel made possibleBut recently, thanks to the interactive visualization of our Galaxy, everyone has the opportunity to travel through the vastness of the Milky Way. Now it is enough to open the service "Our Galaxy 3D and 100,000 Stars" in the browser and plunge into a virtual journey in space. Developed by Google, the app includes location data for nearly 120,000 Milky Way luminaries collected from various sources, including space missions. NavigationMoving around the interactive map is carried out by panning with the mouse or touch panel. Clicking on the star of interest will display information about it. In this case, the camera approaches directly to the selected star, and all the necessary information is displayed in the window next to it. This makes it possible to study in detail the objects of our Galaxy. MusicThe journey through the interactive space is accompanied by the musical works of composer Sam Huhlink, who is also known for writing music for computer games such as Mass Effect. |
