邻近宇宙的恒星流

邻近宇宙的恒星流

Stellar Streams in the Local Universe
Image Credit: David Martinez Delgado et al.

Explanation: The twenty galaxies arrayed in these panels are part of an ambitious astronomical survey of tidal stellar streams. Each panel presents a composite view; a deep, inverted image taken from publicly available imaging surveys of a field that surrounds a nearby massive galaxy image. The inverted images reveal faint cosmic structures, star streams hundreds of thousands of light-years across, that result from the gravitational disruption and eventual merger of satellite galaxies in the local universe. Such surveys of mergers and gravitational tidal interactions between massive galaxies and their dwarf satellites are crucial guides for current models of galaxy formation and cosmology. Of course, the detection of stellar streams in the neighboring Andromeda Galaxy and our own Milky Way also offers spectacular evidence for ongoing satellite galaxy disruption within our more local galaxy group.

Tomorrow’s picture: eclipse at sunset

邻近宇宙的恒星流
影像提供: David Martinez Delgado et al.

说明: 这扇图板阵列所呈现的20个星系，是颇具雄心的潮汐恒星流天文巡天工作的一部分。每个图板展示一幅合成影像；而这些记录邻近的大质量星系周围景观的影像，全是来自公开的影像巡天计画。这些反白的影像，呈现了暗淡的邻近宇宙结构，以及跨幅达数十万光年的恒星流，这些起源于受到重力拆解与最终受到吞并的伴星系之构造。这种针对大星系与其矮伴星系之间的合并和重力潮汐交互作用所进行的调查，对目前建构星系形成及宇宙模型提供了关键性的指引。此外，对邻近仙女大星系及银河系恒星流的侦测，也为本星系群中伴星系正受到拆解提供了壮观的证据。

明日的图片: eclipse at sunset