Film & Animation

The Composition of Galaxies: Looking Beyond The Stars

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Stunning visible light images of galaxies show us vast collections of stars, gas, and dust arrayed in great spiral and giant elliptical shapes. But astronomers know that there is much more to a galaxy than meets the eye. Their true scale reaches well beyond their visible extent and raises the question of whether a galaxy ever really ends. Dr. Corlies will discuss how we measure the faint outskirts of galaxies and whether the findings match our expectations. Through studies of Hubble Space Telescope observations and modern computer simulations we can probe the nature of galaxy formation and advance our understanding of their development.

Speaker: Lauren Corlies, Johns Hopkins University
Host: Dr. Frank Summers

Recorded live on March 7, 2017 at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD, USA

MORE INFO: http://hubblesite.org/about_us/public_talks/

STScI Webcast Links:
Frank Summers ­- News from the Universe:
https://webcast.stsci.edu/webcast/detail.xhtml?talkid=5499

Lauren Corlies – The Composition of Galaxies: Looking Beyond the Stars
https://webcast.stsci.edu/webcast/detail.xhtml?talkid=5498

Blast Wave from a Stellar Explosion: Simulation of Supernova 1987A

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This scientific visualization shows the development of Supernova 1987A, from the initial blast observed three decades ago to the luminous ring of material we see today.

The sequence, using data from a computer simulation, begins with the star before it exploded. A ring of material around the star was expelled about 20,000 years before the supernova outburst. A flash of light signals the stellar explosion. The supernova sends a blast wave outward from the dying star. As the blast wave slams into the ring, high-density knots of material become intensely heated and glow brightly, while lower-density gas is blown outward. The computer simulation provides one data set per year, and thus the visualization steps between them at four years per second. Upon reaching the present day, the time development is halted, and the camera circles around the ring to showcase its structure.

Visualization Credit: NASA, ESA, and F. Summers and G. Bacon (STScI)
Simulation Credit: S. Orlando (INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo)

Tonight’s Sky: March 2017

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Backyard stargazers get a monthly guide to the northern hemisphere’s skywatching events with “Tonight’s Sky.” The March equinox still grants plenty of dark nighttime skies for planet-hunting.

“Tonight’s Sky” is produced by HubbleSite.org, online home of the Hubble Space Telescope. This is a recurring show, and you can find more episodes — and other astronomy videos — at HubbleSite.org.

Visit Tonight’s Sky on HubbleSite.
http://hubblesite.org/explore_astronomy/tonights_sky