Cosmic census shapes a trip through the UniverseScientists today (Friday 5 May) revealed the largest-ever computer visualisation of a trip through the Universe based on actual data collected by astronomers. Professor Brian Boyle from the Anglo-Australian Observatory and Professor Matthew Bailes from Swinburne University showed the visualisation for the first time at Science Now in Melbourne. The release coincides with a major landmark in a project to provide the most detailed three-dimensional map ever of the Universe.* A team of astronomers from Australia and the UK have now measured the distances to 100,000 galaxies, which makes their map four times as large as any previous survey. To make the information more easily accessible to the public, they have combined with astronomers from Swinburne University to create the trip through the Universe. The astronomers have been using Australia’s largest optical telescope,
the 3.9-m Anglo-Australian Telescope and a remarkable instrument called
2dF to gather the information. The 2dF instrument allows astronomers to
observe and analyse 400 objects at once, and on a long clear night, they
can log the positions of more than 2000 galaxies.
The computer visualisation has also broken new ground. It is the first time that actual data have been used to create a simulation like this. Professor Matthew Bailes from Swinburne University’s Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing said “Most of us are used to the Hollywood versions of travelling through the Universe but this version is much closer to the truth. We have used the information from the survey and combined it with actual photographs of galaxies, many taken using the Anglo-Australian Telescope. Professor Brian Boyle, the Director of the Anglo-Australian Observatory said, “Astronomers will use our three-dimensional map to learn about the nature of the Universe for many years to come, but it has always been part of our aim to provide a version so that the general public can pilot their own intergalactic spaceship. Eventually we will distribute it for educational use.” Although it has only taken less than two years to gather this huge amount
of data, it is really the culmination of more than seven years of effort.
The 2dF instrument, one of the most complex pieces of astronomical equipment
ever built, is the key to the survey. It uses 400 optical fibres, all of
which can be positioned by an incredibly accurate robotic arm in an hour.
The optical fibres pipe the light from each galaxy into one of two spectrographs.
The spectrographs split the light into its component colours and after
analysis astronomers can tell how far away a galaxy is.
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