The interacting pair of galaxies NGC 1512 and NGC 1510 is central to this image from the dark energy chamber, the most modern wide-field camera of the 4-meter telescope Víctor M. Blanco at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, NSIR’s NOIRLab program. NGC 1512 has been merging with its smaller galactic neighbor for 400 million years, and this long-term interaction has ignited star-forming waves and distorted the two galaxies. Credit: Dark Energy Survey / DOE / FNAL / DECam / CTIO / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA, Image Processing: TA Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage / NSF’s NOIRLab), J. Miller (Gemini Observatory / NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani & D. de Martin (NOIRLab of NSF)
A DOE-funded dark energy camera at NSF’s NOIRLab in Chile captures a pair of galaxies performing a gravitational duet.
The interacting pair of galaxies NGC 1512 and NGC 1510 is central to this image from the US Department of Energy’s Dark Energy Camera, Víctor M. Blanco’s state-of-the-art 570-megapixel wide-range 570-meter telescope at the Cerro Tolo Inter-American Observatory. NSIR’s NOIRLab program. NGC 1512 has been merging with its smaller galactic neighbor for 400 million years, and this long-term interaction has ignited star-forming waves.
The spiral galaxy NGC 1512 (left) and its small neighbor NGC 1510 were captured in this observation (image at the top of the article) by the Victor M. Blanco 4-meter telescope. In addition to revealing the complex internal structure of NGC 1512, this image shows the thin outer strands of the galaxy that stretch and seem to envelop their small satellite. The stellar flow of light that connects the two galaxies is evidence of the gravitational interaction between them – a majestic and graceful relationship that has lasted for 400 million years. The gravitational interaction of NGC 1512 and NGC 1510 affected the rate of star formation in the two galaxies, as well as distorted their shapes. Eventually, NGC 1512 and NGC 1510 will merge into one larger galaxy – a flowing example of galactic evolution.
Wider image cropping NGC 1512. Credit: Dark Energy Survey / DOE / FNAL / DECam / CTIO / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA, Image Processing: TA Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage / NSF’s NOIRLab), J. Miller (Gemini Observatory / NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab)
These interacting galaxies are located in the direction of the constellation Chorolog in the southern celestial hemisphere and are about 60 million light years from Earth. The wide field of view of this observation shows not only the intertwined galaxies, but also their star-studded environment. The frame is populated with bright stars in the foreground of the Milky Way and is set against the backdrop of even more distant galaxies.
The image is made with one of the most effective wide field imaging tools in the world, the Dark Energy Camera (DECam). This instrument is perched on top of the 4-meter telescope Víctor M. Blanco and its point of view allows it to collect starlight reflected from the 4-meter (13 feet wide) telescope mirror, solid, aluminum coating and precisely shaped piece of glass approx. with the weight of a semi-truck. After passing through the optical interior of the DECam – including a corrective lens with a diameter of nearly a meter (3.3 feet) – starlight is captured by a network of 62 charge-related devices (CCD). These CCD arrays are similar to the sensors found in ordinary digital cameras, but are much more sensitive and allow the instrument to create detailed images of pale astronomical objects such as NGC 1512 and NGC 1510.
Even wider image cropping NGC 1512. Credit: Dark Energy Survey / DOE / FNAL / DECam / CTIO / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA, Image Processing: TA Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage / NSF’s NOIRLab), J. Miller Gemini Observatory / NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab)
Large astronomical instruments such as the DECam are specially crafted masterpieces of optical engineering that require enormous effort from astronomers, engineers, and technicians before the first images can be captured. Funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE) with contributions from international partners, DECam was built and tested at DOE’s Fermilab, where scientists and engineers built a “telescope simulator” – a replica of the upper segments of the Víctor M. Blanco 4- meter Telescope – This allowed them to test DECam in depth before sending it to Cerro Tololo in Chile.
DECam was created to conduct the Dark Energy Survey (DES), a six-year monitoring campaign (from 2013 to 2019) involving over 400 scientists from 25 institutions in seven countries. This international joint effort aims to map hundreds of millions of galaxies, discover thousands of supernovae and find delicate models of space structure – all to provide much-needed details about the mysterious dark energy that is accelerating the expansion of the universe. Today, DECam is still used for programs by scientists around the world continuing the legacy of cutting-edge science.
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