New map provides impressive detail on 380,000 neighboring galaxies

A snapshot of some of the galaxies in the new map.

CTIO/NOIRLAB/DOE/NSF/AURA/J. MOUSTAKAS

Dubbed the Siena Galactic Atlas (SGA), the digital map was created using data from three astronomical surveys conducted between 2014 and 2017 by the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) and the Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO). All three surveys are part of the DESI Legacy Survey Project, an international team of astronomers.

Cosmic maps like this one could help astronomers spot patterns that could help classify new discoveries, such as stars that suddenly flash before disappearing.

In addition, the maps also help astronomers identify potential candidates for further research. And these digital repositories are constantly updated with the latest discoveries, especially in the modern era when telescope technology continues to rapidly improve its capabilities.

What sets SGA apart from previous similar projects is the enviable accuracy of the entire volume of data used, thanks to the images captured by the most modern machines available today.

Image of two galaxies merging since they began more than 300 million years ago, according to SGA

CTIO/NOIRLAB/DOE/NSF/AURA/J. MOUSTAKAS

The SGA is also the first cosmological map to collect information about the brightness of galaxies, data that describes how the brightness of a galaxy changes from its brightest point (usually at the center) to its faintest point (at the edge of the galaxy).

"The large galaxies near the Milky Way are important because we can study them more closely than other galaxies in the universe; they are our neighbors," Space.com quoted project leader Professor John Moustakas of Siena College (USA), a university of the Franciscan Order of Catholicism.

"Not only are they beautiful, but they also hold the key to understanding how galaxies form and evolve, including our own Milky Way," said Professor Moustakas.

The public can access SGA to enjoy stunning images of the Milky Way's neighboring galaxies at https://sga.legacysurvey.org/.

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