Table of Contents
How can we photograph our galaxy?
Powerful telescopes like Hubble, Chandra, and Spitzer (and soon, James Webb) capture images of our galaxy in many different light wavelengths, which astronomers piece back together so they can see past the gas and dust as far into the center as possible.
How do astronomers study galaxies?
Distance to galaxies are measured by how bright its stars are, in light years (defined as how long it takes the light to reach us in one year). We used images from infrared to radio wavelengths of light, which allows us to measure both the rate of star formation and the cold dust mass in galaxies.
Who is the most famous astrophysicist in the world?
Famous Astronomers and Astrophysicists
| Classical Period | |
|---|---|
| Galileo Galilei | 1564-1642 Italian |
| Johannes Kepler | 1571-1630 German |
| John Babtist Riccioli | 1598-1671 Italian |
| Giovanni Cassini | 1625-1712 Italian-born French |
Who took the picture of our galaxy?
photographer J-P Metsavainio
The photographer J-P Metsavainio captured images of the Milky Way for 12 years to create a mosaic. It shows 20 million stars in the galaxy and features the remains of three supernovas.
What do galaxies actually look like?
Some galaxies are spiral-shaped like ours. They have curved arms that make it look like a pinwheel. They have irregular shapes and look like blobs. The light that we see from each of these galaxies comes from the stars inside it.
Is there a real photo of the Milky Way galaxy?
It takes 250 million years for our Sun and the solar system to go all the way around the center of the Milky Way. We can only take pictures of the Milky Way from inside the galaxy, which means we don’t have an image of the Milky Way as a whole.
What school did Stephen Hawking go to as a kid?
Hawking began his schooling at the Byron House School in Highgate, London. He later blamed its “progressive methods” for his failure to learn to read while at the school. In St Albans, the eight-year-old Hawking attended St Albans High School for Girls for a few months.
Who is the father of astrophysics?
Angelo Secchi, S.J.
Angelo Secchi, S.J. was born in Reggio, Italy and died in Rome. He was a physicist and mathematician with remarkable ability and passion for astronomy.
Why can we take pictures of other galaxies?
We can take great images of other galaxies. Because we’re at quite a distance from them, we can get a good look at the whole galaxy. Trying to observe the shape of our own Galaxy is like staring at the edge of a cake, trying to figure out if the entire cake is square, round, or dinosaur-shaped.
What can we learn about a star from its spectra?
If the lines shift back and forth we can learn that the star may be orbiting another star. We can estimate the mass and size of the star from this. If the lines grow and fade in strength we can learn about the physical changes in the star. Spectral information can also tell us about material around stars.
Why does the Milky Way have the shape it does?
The shapes of galaxies are influenced by their neighbors, and, often, galaxies collide. The Milky Way is itself on a collision course with our nearest neighbor, the Andromeda galaxy.
Is the Milky Way on a collision course with the Andromeda Galaxy?
The Milky Way is itself on a collision course with our nearest neighbor, the Andromeda galaxy. Even though it is the same age as the Milky Way, Hubble observations reveal that the stars in Andromeda’s halo are much younger than those in the Milky Way.