Nearby galaxies observed with real and virtual telescopes

星系由恒星、行星、气体、尘埃和黑洞组成，它们都被暗物质的引力拉在一起。我们在地球上和夜空中看到的所有原子都是在星系中形成的。了解星系如何运作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，我们银河系的物质都是早期恒星的产物。星系是复杂的系统，要理解它们是如何形成现在的状态，需要收集所有可用的线索。在人类看来，星系形成的过程是如此缓慢，以至于观察它们运行的唯一方法就是运行计算机模拟。这些模拟是通过与真实星系的观测结果进行比较来验证的。特别是附近的星系，提供了一个清晰的内部组成部分的视图，以及全局属性的大画面，如总质量和光分布。这些全局属性决定了星系如何随时间变化，但很难从我们在银河系中的位置测量银河系。这项研究将使用世界上最先进的望远镜，以多种波长的光观察附近的星系，并以新的方式将它们组合在一起。该团队将汇集现代望远镜提供的各种复杂信息，仔细选择一组附近的星系，并将这些信息组合成一幅全面的图片。观测结果将用于测试使用先进统计方法的计算机模拟。我们将发现模拟能多好地再现真实的星系，以及它们的不足之处。参与本研究的学生将学习先进的天体物理学、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.**