Abstract: http://iopscience.iop.org/2041-8205/782/2/L24/
By using a new telescope made by stitching together telephoto lenses, astronomers have discovered seven previously unseen galaxies while probing a nearby spiral galaxy.
The Yale scientists will tackle a key question next: Are these seven newly found objects dwarf galaxies orbiting around the M101 spiral galaxy, or are they located much closer or farther away, and just by chance are visible in the same direction as M101?
If it's the latter, Merritt said, these objects represent something entirely different. "There are predictions from galaxy formation theory about the need for a population of very diffuse, isolated galaxies in the universe," Merritt said. "It may be that these seven galaxies are the tip of the iceberg, and there are thousands of them in the sky that we haven't detected yet."
Merritt stressed that until they collect more data and determine the distances to the objects, researchers won't know their true nature. But the possibilities are intriguing enough that the team has been granted the opportunity to use the Hubble Space Telescope for further study.
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From the University of Sydney:
A new home-grown instrument based on bundles of optical fibres is giving Australian astronomers the first 'Google street view' of the cosmos - incredibly detailed views of huge numbers of galaxies.
Developed by researchers at the University of Sydney and the Australian Astronomical Observatory, the optical-fibre bundles can sample the light from up to 60 parts of a galaxy, for a dozen galaxies at a time.
By analysing the light's spectrum astronomers can learn how gas and stars move within each galaxy, where the young stars are forming and where the old stars live. This will allow them to better understand how galaxies change over time and what drives that change.
"It's a giant step," said Dr James Allen of the ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO) at the University of Sydney.
"Before, we could study one galaxy at a time in detail, or lots of galaxies at once but in much less detail. Now we have both the numbers and the detail."
The Australian team is now a year or two ahead of its international competition in this field. In just 64 nights it has gathered data on 1000 galaxies, twice as many as the previous largest project, and over the next two years it will study another 2000.
(Score: 2) by chromas on Saturday July 12 2014, @01:28AM
But do they finally get cool names?
(Score: 1) by ButchDeLoria on Saturday July 12 2014, @01:45AM
Urist McGalaxy
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 12 2014, @02:09AM
It would be interesting to know if these dwarf galaxies have black holes at their centers. Given the debate over whether black holes are the engine that create galaxies or if galaxies create supermassive black holes, these dwarf galaxies could provide some critical information.
(Score: 4, Funny) by BradTheGeek on Saturday July 12 2014, @02:16AM
To find a snow white galaxy!
(Score: 2) by Tork on Saturday July 12 2014, @02:29AM
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 2) by yellowantphil on Saturday July 12 2014, @02:28AM
I vote for naming them Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleazy... Wait, that's not right... Anyway, what are the IAU's naming standards for galaxies? I bet we could find a list of Greek or Roman gods that were known for being happy, dopey, etc.
Happy: Dionysus, the god of wine
Sleepy: Somnus, the god of sleep
Maybe we can fill in the rest of the list and send in a proposal.
(Score: 2) by redneckmother on Saturday July 12 2014, @04:21AM
Drippy
Slippy
Sleazy
Greasy
Humpy
Frumpy
Dork
Mas cerveza por favor.
(Score: 2) by KritonK on Monday July 14 2014, @10:06AM
That's the Roman god. The Greek god is Hypnos [wikipedia.org].
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Saturday July 12 2014, @03:45AM
OK, fellow Soylents!
What is the point of this story? The dwarf galaxies, which are not that uncommon, especially in the Ursa Major region? Or the question of orbit, which is in fact a rather mundane question in astronomy. (Just because something looks close to something else, that does not means it actually is.) Or that they put together a telescope made of a bunch of telephoto lenses!!!!! Bug eye Astronomy!!! Seeing stuff the human eye could not otherwise see! (Well, until we can get the time for Hubble deep field view around M101. . . .)
(Score: 2) by captain normal on Saturday July 12 2014, @04:52AM
I think it is interesting that the Dragonfly array is set up 3-4-1, and if M101 is considered 1, then the ghost galaxies are neatly arraigned very close to 4-3. So I think waiting for data from Hubble is a good idea.
Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts"- --Daniel Patrick Moynihan--
(Score: 2) by rts008 on Saturday July 12 2014, @01:12PM
I inadvertently stumbled across that porno also.