February 2 (UPI) – No two galaxies are alike. Although each galaxy has a variety of structural quarries, galaxies do not exist in isolation – and researchers have devised a way to view multiple galaxies at once.
To gain a better understanding of both the extent of galactic diversity and the different ways in which galaxies link together and interact with each other, researchers in Australia developed a unique imaging instrument to study 13 galaxies at one time.
Scientists sent their instrument, the Sydney-AAO Multi-Object Integral-Field Spectrograph, or SAMI, to a 4-meter telescope operated by the Australian National University.
For seven years, researchers used SAMI to observe galaxies, completing a study of more than 3,000 galaxies. SAMI allowed astronomers to image the studied galaxies in several colors, or spectra, and from multiple perspectives.
The three-dimensional view of the survey helped scientists study how different galaxies grew and altered their spin or pathways over time, as well as how different galaxies interacted. together.
Researchers detailed the results of the SAMI Study in a new paper, published this week in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
“The SAMI study allows us to see the real structures within galaxies, and the results have been astounding,” study lead author Scott Croom said in a press release.
“The sheer size of the SAMI Survey allows us to identify similarities as well as differences, so that we can move closer to understanding the forces that affect the fortunes of galaxies over their very long lives. , “said Croom, a professor of astronomy at the University of Sydney.
Teams of astronauts are already using the newly analyzed research data to study how galaxies interact in space.
While some galaxies persist in scarce pockets of the cosmos, largely free from the influence of neighbors, other galaxies are found squeezed into dense colds.
One new study inspired by SAMI Survey data showed that galaxies around the galaxy have a strong influence on galaxy direction. Another group found that the speed at which a galaxy spins is determined by its mass, and a third study found that galaxies tend to slowly drag stars as they are slid into dense galactic masses. .
“The SAMI Study was set up to help us answer some very high-level questions about galaxy evolution,” said co-author Matt Owers.
Owers, an astronomer at Macquarie University in Australia, said the researchers gathered new detailed information that could help understand a number of fundamental questions – including why galaxies look different depending on where they are located in the constellation.
“What processes stop galaxies from forming new stars and, on the other hand, what processes lead to the formation of new stars? Why do the stars in some galleries move in a rotating disk with a high order, and in other galleries their orbits are randomly controlled? “Owers said.
Although the SAMI Study ended, the researchers expect the public databases to spur a variety of new studies.