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Stunning new image of Andromeda galaxy 2.5 million light years from Earth shows scientists where stars are born in neighboring Milky Way
- New radio image of Andromeda galaxy allowed scientists to learn which part of stars were born
- The image was released at the microwave frequency of 6.6 GHz
- Andromeda emissions are only visible in the frequency range 1 to 22 GHz
- Scientists have identified around 100 points, including stars, galaxies and other objects in the background of Andromeda
A stunning new radio image of the galaxy closest to the Milky Way – Andromeda – has allowed scientists to learn which part of our neighboring galactic stars were born.
The image, released at the 6.6 GHz microwave frequency, was made possible by the Sardinia Radio Telescope, a 64-meter telescope that can operate at high radio frequencies.
“This image will allow us to study the structure of Andromeda and its contents in greater detail than ever before,” said lead author of the study, University of British Columbia physicist Sofia Fatigoni, in a statement. .
“Understanding the nature of the physical processes that take place inside Andromeda allows us to understand more clearly what is going on in our own galaxy, as if we were looking at ourselves from the outside.”
A stunning new radio image of the galaxy closest to the Milky Way – the Andromeda galaxy – has allowed scientists to learn which part of our neighboring galactic stars were born
The image, released at the microwave frequency of 6.6 GHz, was made possible by the Sardinia radio telescope (photo), located on the Italian island
The researchers were able to draw a map because they were in the frequency range between 1 GHz and 22 GHz. When creating the map, scientists identified around 100 points, including stars, galaxies, and other objects in the background of Andromeda.
The researchers spent 66 hours observing the galaxy with the telescope and from this data they were able to estimate the rate of formation in the galaxy and highlight the region where they were born.
“In particular, we were able to determine the fraction of emissions due to thermal processes associated with the first stations of new star formation, and the fraction of radio signals attributable to non-thermal mechanisms due to cosmic rays that spiral in the magnetic field present in the interstellar medium, ”Fatigoni added.
The researchers were able to map because they were in the frequency range of 1 GHz to 22 GHz.
Although the galaxy’s emissions are low in this range, it is the only range where certain features are visible, allowing researchers to create a map.
When creating the map, scientists identified around 100 points, including stars, galaxies, and other objects in the background of Andromeda.
“By combining this new image with those acquired previously, we have made significant progress in clarifying the nature of Andromeda’s microwave emissions and allowing us to distinguish the physical processes that occur in different regions of the galaxy,” a said Dr Elia Battistelli, professor in the physics department of Sapienza and study coordinator.
The study was recently published in Astronomy and Astrophysics.
In August 2020, the Hubble Space Telescope first mapped the giant halo of gas enveloping the Andromeda galaxy.
The Andromeda Galaxy, also known as M31, is a majestic spiral of around 1,000 billion stars and is comparable in size to the Milky Way.
It is about 10 billion years old and is located about 2.5 million light years from the Milky Way – so close it appears as a cigar-shaped spot of light high in the fall sky.
In about 4.5 billion years, Andromeda is expected to collide with the Milky Way.
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