Star formation and star clusters in nearby galaxies

星系是宇宙中最大的发光成分，了解星系(包括我们自己的星系)是如何形成今天的样子的，是观测天文学的一个主要焦点。我们想回答的问题包括：星系是如何聚集它们的恒星和气体的？它们是如何呈现出现在的形状的？是什么控制了恒星的形成速度？这个研究项目的目的是“反向工作”，研究附近星系的结构和条件。研究这些星系的一个主要优势是，我们可以看到精细的细节，并更容易将它们与我们所在的银河系进行比较。一个目标将被用来比较恒星形成的各种指标：温暖的星际尘埃和紫外线辐射对灯塔状年轻星团的漫反射光芒。在两种环境中产生新星的条件是相同的吗？该计划的另一个方面是对古老的球状星团的研究，这些星团被认为是星系早期的“化石”。通过确定这些星系团的性质，可以更好地了解宇宙早期的条件。在形成过程中观察年轻星系是即将到来的詹姆斯·韦伯太空望远镜和拟议的30米望远镜的主要目标之一。这一计划将有助于为这种观测奠定基础，因为它描绘了一幅附近星系的全面图景，可以与这些新设施将要观测的更遥远的星系进行比较。

Galaxies are the largest luminous constituents of the universe, and understanding how galaxies (including our own) came to be the way they are today is a major focus of observational astronomy. Questions we want to answer include: how did galaxies assemble their stars and gas? How did they assume their present shapes? What controls the rate at which stars are formed?The intent of this research program is to "work backwards", studying the structures and conditions in nearby galaxies. A major advantage of studying these galaxies is that we can see fine details and compare them more easily to our own Milky Way. One goal will be  to compare various indicators of star formation: the diffuse glows of warm interstellar dust and ultraviolet radiation against the beacon-like young star clusters. Are the conditions which produce new stars the same in both environments? Another aspect of this program is the study of ancient  globular star clusters, which are thought to be "fossils" of the early age of galaxies. By pinning down the properties of these clusters, conditions in the early ages of the universe can be better understood.Observing young galaxies in the process of formation is one of the primary goals of the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope and the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope. This program will help to lay the groundwork for such observations by painting a comprehensive portrait of nearby galaxies which can be compared to the much more distant galaxies to be observed by these new facilities.