The project generated an impressive 500 terabytes of data and became the largest ever conducted with an ESO telescope
Summary
Astronomers have created the most detailed infrared map of the Milky Way, revealing more than 1.5 billion celestial objects, changing the way we see our galaxy.
Astronomers have created the most detailed infrared map from the Milky Way to date, revealing more than 1.5 billion celestial objects. Using the VISTA telescope at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile, the investigation is the result of more than 13 years of monitoring the central regions of our galaxy.
The project generated impressive results 500 terabytes of data e it became the largest ever conducted with an ESO telescope.
The findings, described in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, are already changing the way we see the Milky Way. “We have made so many discoveries that we have forever transformed the view of our galaxy,” said Dante Minniti, an astrophysicist at Andrés Bello University in Chile and leader of the research.
The map covers approximately 200,000 images captured by VISTA (Visible and Infrared Tracking Telescope for Astronomy). Located at the Paranal Observatory, the equipment features the VIRCAM infrared camera, which allows it to see beyond interstellar dust and gas, reaching previously invisible regions.
The ability to see in the infrared allows, for example, to detect newborn stars and brown dwarfs, objects that shine at cooler wavelengths.
The new survey covers an area equivalent to 8,600 full moons and is 10 times more complete than the previous map, published in 2012 by the same team.
In addition to stars and globular clusters, the telescope also detected rogue planets and hypervelocity stars.
Observation of more than 400 nights
The observations, which began in 2010 and continued until the first half of 2023, totaled 420 nights. The long monitoring period allowed astronomers not only to locate the objects, but also to monitor their movement and changes in brightness. Variable stars, for example, have made it possible to create a three-dimensional map of the internal regions of the Milky Way.
The project is part of the VISTA Variables in the Milky Way (VVV) survey and its extension, VVVX. More than 300 scientific papers have already been generated from this data, and researchers believe the material will continue to be explored for decades.
Source: Terra
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