Argentine scientists have created the largest infrared map of the sky

2024-10-15 15:02:00

One of the greatest challenges for astronomy has been exploring the heart of the planet Milky Waydue to density accumulation of stars and interstellar dust which makes observations in the optical spectrum difficult. However, the VISTA Variables in the Milky Way (VVV) and its extension (VVVX) projects, led by European Southern Observatory (ESO), have revolutionized this field. These projects use tTelescope Vistaspecialized in observations in near infraredwhich allows us to penetrate the darkest and most hidden areas of our own Galaxy.

Thanks to this enormous technological progress, scientists have managed to develop a precise map of the stellar structures of the nucleus of the Milky Way which, observed in 1610, Galileo Galilei described it as a “mass of countless stars.” Today, more than 400 years later, the VVV and VVVX projects have completed the largest infrared map of the Milky Way, based on 13 years of observations. This effort was led by 146 scientists from 15 countries and generated valuable data for understanding stellar structure and evolution.

Infrared map: 200,000 images of the sky

The VVV and VVVX megaprojects were led by Dante Minniti, of the National University of Córdoba, and Philip Lucas, of the University of Hertfordshire. During 420 nights of observation, 200 thousand images of the sky were capturedmonitoring more than 1.5 billion celestial objects. 500 terabytes of scientific data were generated, making this project one of the European Southern Observatory’s largest. The use of infrared was fundamental to overcome the obstacles of the optical spectrum and be able to study the internal areas of the Milky Way.

Observations from the VVVX project covered an area of 1,700 square degrees of paradiseincluding the galactic bulge and the inner disk of the galaxy. This allowed us to build a 5D map, which includes positions, distances and movements of objects. This unprecedented map helps to better understand star formation and the evolution of galaxies, offering a platform for advanced studies on Stellar dynamics and populations.

As explained by Argentine scientists, This work not only sheds light on the mysteries of the heart of the Milky Way, but also integrates the optical catalogs of the Gaia satellite, offering a more complete picture of the hidden areas of our galaxy.. As the vast amount of data continues to be analyzed, it is expected that these discoveries will continue to enrich our understanding of the universe.