Galaxy collisions teasing apart: photo Atlas of Galaxy Spitzer ' train wrecks '

ScienceDaily (May 29, 2011), our Galaxy will collide with Andromeda Galaxy five billion years from now onwards. This would represent a moment of destruction and creation. Will lose their identity as merging galaxies. Meanwhile, cosmic clouds of dust and gas will smash together, leading to the birth of new stars.

To understand our past and envision our future, we must understand what happens when galaxies collide. But since the Galaxy collisions take place over millions of billions of years, we cannot see a single from beginning to end. Instead, we must consider a variety of colliding galaxies at different stages. By combining data from space telescopes, two astronomers new ideas in collision process.

"We met Galactic Atlas" wrecks train ' from start to finish. This Atlas is the first step to read the story of how galaxies form and evolve, grow, "said lead author from Harvard Station Lanz Laurent Smithsonian Astrophysics (CFA).

Lanz view findings 25 may at 218 "American Astronomical Society.

New images combine observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope of NASA, which notes the infrared, and NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) spacecraft observed ultraviolet light. Information gathered from various parts of the light spectrum, scientists and many more than one wavelength only, because it highlights the various Galactic components.

Capture data GALEX ultraviolet emission from hot young stars. View Spitzer infrared emission from warm dust heated by those stars, and stellar surfaces. Therefore, GALEX data of UV and infrared Spitzer data in highlight areas is more speed stars, and allow more complete census together for new stars.

In General, raise Galaxy collisions are stars. However, some galaxies interacting stars produce less than others. Lance and her colleagues want to know what are the differences in physical processes varying results. And the findings will help guide computer-Galaxy Collision simulations.

"We are working with theorists to give our tests actually Lance. "We will be truly tested at five billion years ago, when faced with milky way collision".

Co-authors Lanz were Nicolas brasington (University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom), Andreas zizas (University of Crete, Greece, CFA), Howard Smith and Matt Ashby (CFA); Christopher Klein (University of California at Berkeley), Patrick Johnson, Lars hernkoist, Giovanni Fazio (CFA).

Source of the story:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

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