Astronomers are constantly creating maps of the universe that amaze & impress at the same time. These maps are not simply pleasant to look at, but they also offer in-sights into our planetary systems & beyond.
Now, using the Low Frequency Array, a Pan European radio telescope, researchers from the Durham University with the help of a team of international scientists, mapped more than a quarter of the North sky, according to a statement issued by institution on Friday.
The new map shows around one million objects that have never been previously with any telescope and nearly 4 million objects that are new discoveries at radio wavelengths.
A new map of universe
“This project is so exciting to work. Every time we have created a map, our screens are full of new discoveries and objects that have never seen from human eyes before. Exploring the unknown phenomena that are blazing up in the energetic radio-universe is an incredible experience & our team is excited to publish these maps publicly,” said astronomer Timothy Shimwell of ASTRON & Leiden University.
The map shows over 4.4 million objects, the vast majority of which lie billions of light-years away. These majestic celestial objects tend to be either galaxies that harbor huge black holes or are rapidly growing new stars.
20,000 laptops worth of data
There are also some colliding clusters of distant galaxies & flaring stars. To obtain their images, the researchers had to analyze 3,500 hours of data, which takes up 8 petabytes of disk space (equivalent to about 20,000 laptops). And there are actually more observations to change.
“This version is only 27% of the total survey and we assume that there will be many more scientific advances in the future, including examining, as the largest structures of the universe grow, how black holes are formed & evolve, Physics that regulates the formation of stars in distant galaxies and even offers the most spectacular phases in the life of the stars in our own galaxy, “Shimwell concluded.
The study is published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.
