The much-anticipated Bella C. Rubin Observatory released its first batch of images on Monday (June 23), captivating the world with one of the most detailed snapshots of the space ever taken.
Using the world’s largest digital camera, Rubin Observatory will be making time-lapse films throughout the night sky for the next decade. And for the telescope’s illustrious debut, the team revealed a stunning image of over 10 million galaxies in the Virgo cluster.
The complete 3,200 megapixel image is extremely vast and detailed, and goes beyond the understanding of the human eye, project scientists said at a press conference Monday. Fortunately, the Rubin Observatory team has created a zoomable, searchable version of the images available on the website. It is filled with amazing close-ups of space objects, each of which are in themselves works of art.
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To soak your toes in a dominant image, try our free online tour of the Rubin’s Cosmic Treasure Chest observatory. We did it – and highlighted some of the most stunning sights below. See if you can find these universe gems sprinkled throughout Rubin’s groundbreaking debut image.
“Grand Design” Spiral Galaxy
Coordinates: 185.5, 4.5
Like a giant celestial mirror, the “Grand Design” Spiral Galaxy Messier 61 (M61) gives astronomers a hint of what our own Milky Way looks like from the outside. Arrange your organized faces – meaning you can see the wide “face” of the galaxy rather than its flat edges – the M61 boasts a bright galaxy core with bent, well-defined spiral arms and super-mastery black holes. Estimated 55 million light years from Earth, astronomers have been studying galaxies that glitter for hundreds of years. According to NASA, it was first detected in 1779 and is visible today through a good backyard telescope. You can find it just below the smaller, blue spiral galaxy, beneath the image of the Virgo cluster in the center of the Rubin image.
Triple garaxy collision
Coordinates: 186.67, 9.0
The three spiral galaxies were a little too close to gaining comfort in the top right corner of Rubin’s new image. Although individual spiral arms are still visible, the galaxy trio are visibly stretched in a gravitational tug of war, slowly drawing them into one wonderful gas-like gumbo. Bridges of matter spread amongst the galaxies that are distorted as they slowly merge. Such piles are common. Scientists theorize that our own Milky Way has been integrated at least 12 times over the past 12 billion years.
Bright, nearby stars
Coordinates: 187.83, 7.58
Most objects in the Virgo cluster are located far beyond our galaxy boundaries, but Rubin Observatory also photographed scattering of nearby stars. Distinguishable by propeller-like diffraction spikes and reddish glow, these stars are in our own Milky Way, nearly millions of times more than Virgo clusters. The sharp diffraction spikes and halo-like glow are the effect of light scattering within the telescope’s optics, which helps to separate nearby stars from distant galaxies.
Giant galaxy cluster
Coordinates: 186.92, 8.83
A Galaxy cluster is the largest object in the universe combined by gravity. According to NASA, the Virgo cluster (the subject of Rubin’s debut image) contains an estimated 2,000 galaxies that are relatively close.
But squinting far beyond the objects in the foreground of the new image, Rubin shows us what the galaxy clusters look like from the outside. Each fuzzy orange light spot in this part of the image is a galaxy containing billions of light stars. The faint lanes of gas and dust bridge the gaps between the distant galaxies. Although it is impossible to communicate with the naked eye, our home galaxy is part of a similar cluster called the Virgo Super Cluster, which includes both local groups (groups of galaxies that include the Milky Way) and Virgo Cluctar.
A pair of galaxies with healthy boundaries
Coordinates: 186.67, 8.83
Two spiral galaxies of dignity appear to have healthy respect for each other’s personal boundaries. Unlike the galactic train wreckages found elsewhere in the Virgo cluster, there is no obvious merger here. The reasons include a slight optical illusion. Galaxies are displayed side by side, but one is located in a much deeper space than the other. According to the Rubin Observatory team, the galaxy on the right (NGC 4411) is about 50 million light years away from Earth, while the partner on the left (NGC 4411b) is more than 70 million light years away. There is plenty of space between them, and both spaces are facing towards the earth, allowing you to enjoy both sights in uninterrupted glory.
Space pancakes
Coordinates: 185.93, 6.93
Long beams of bright light within a spherical halo scattered throughout the image. Zoom in well and you will see that there are many spiral galaxies, but when the face points away from Earth, the edges are tilted. Unlike the surface galaxies, these objects are considered flat pancake-like discs covered in sparkling dust. A closer look at this galaxy (NGC 4343) does not allow you to create a spiral arm. However, you can see the active galactic nucleus at its center. It is a bright, fed super-temperamental black hole that attracts matter at almost the speed of light.
What else did you find in Rubin’s incredible 3,200 megapixel Virgo cluster images? Leave a comment below in coordinates to share your findings.
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