REPRODUCING REAL-LIFE OBSERVATIONS

By running simulations, astronomers have been able to test various theories

1 Real-life observations The top image shows the distribution of the brightest galaxies in the local universe as observed in the Two Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS), which took place between 1997 and 2001. It used telescopes at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory in Arizona and the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. 2 Accurate reproduction SIBELIUS was presented with special initial conditions which it then acted upon to predict the distribution. The bottom image shows how the simulation reproduced the distribution of galaxies in the local universe based on those conditions. As you can see, it was accurate, allowing conclusions to be drawn. 3 The galactic evolution Frequent interactions and mergers with other galaxies within the simulation led to this final image, so it can be supposed that this is…

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All About Space (Digital) - 1 Issue, No. 161

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