Nearby galaxies observed with real and virtual telescopes

星系由恒星、行星、气体、尘埃和黑洞组成，所有这些都通过暗物质的引力聚集在一起。我们在地球周围和夜空中看到的所有原子都是在一个星系中形成的。了解星系是如何工作的，是了解地球上生命起源的一部分。从我们骨骼中的钙到北极星，我们银河系的内容都是前几代恒星的产物。星系是一个复杂的系统，要想了解它们是如何达到现在的状态的，需要收集所有可用的线索。从人类的角度来看，产生星系的过程是如此缓慢，以至于观察它们运行的唯一方法就是运行计算机模拟。这些模拟通过与对真实星系的观测进行比较来检验。尤其是附近的星系，提供了内部组成的清晰图像以及全球属性的整体图景，如总质量和光分布。这些全球性质决定了星系如何随时间变化，但从我们在银河系中的位置很难测量到它。这项研究将使用世界上最先进的望远镜来观测附近星系的多种波长的光，并以新的方式将它们结合在一起。该团队将把现代望远镜为附近一组精心挑选的星系提供的各种复杂的信息汇集在一起，并将这些信息组合成一张全面的图片。这些观测结果将被用来测试使用先进统计方法的计算机模拟。我们将找出模拟能在多大程度上再现真实星系，以及它们的不足之处。参与这项研究的学生将学习先进的天体物理、计算和数据分析技术。他们将准备使用未来的尖端望远镜，或者将他们的技能应用于加拿大研究、政府和工业的“大数据”问题。**

Galaxies consist of stars, planets, gas, dust, and black holes, all held together by the gravitational pull of dark matter. All of the atoms we see around us on Earth and in the night sky were made in a galaxy. Understanding how galaxies work is part of knowing the origins of life on Earth. From the calcium in our bones to the North Star, the contents of our Milky Way galaxy are the product of earlier generations of stars. Galaxies are complex systems, and understanding how they came to their present states requires gathering all of the clues available. The processes that produced galaxies are so slow in human terms that the only way to see them operate is to run computer simulations. These simulations are tested by comparison to observations of real galaxies. Nearby galaxies in particular provide a clear view of the internal components as well as the big picture of global properties, such as total mass and light distribution. These global properties determine how galaxies change with time but are very difficult to measure for the Milky Way from our position within it. This research will use the world's most advanced telescopes to make observations of nearby galaxies at many wavelengths of light and combine them together in new ways. The team will bring together diverse and sophisticated information delivered by modern telescopes for a carefully-chosen set of nearby galaxies and combine that information into a comprehensive picture. The observations will be used to test computer simulations using advanced statistical methods. We will find out how well simulations can reproduce real galaxies, and where they fall short. Students who participate in this research will learn advanced astrophysics, computing and data analysis techniques. They will be prepared to use future cutting-edge telescopes or apply their skills to "big data" questions in Canadian research, government, and industry.**