Caty Pilachowski Mini-University 2013 Our Milky Way in Space and Time.

Caty PilachowskiMini-University 2013

Our Milky Way in Space and Time

Our Journey…Where in the Galaxy Are We?The Local NeighborhoodTop Milky Way Destinations!The Dark Heart of the GalaxyFormation of the Milky WayOur Galaxy in the Cosmos

Where Are We???

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=5BNDlnawqAx4OM&tbnid=8h3KfU5WWfIuxM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Earth_Western_Hemisphere_transparent_background.png&ei=pu6wUaXQDYnIyAHprIDwBg&psig=AFQjCNF9sEqwfy18CpDyJ5NyH16ptTVPuw&ust=1370636324592843

A Thin Disk of Stars

100,000 Light Years

100,0

00 L

igh

t Years

What Is a Light Year?

The distance light travels in one year (about 6 trillion miles)

Light travels at 186,000 miles per secondThe Moon is

1 light-second from

Earth

The Sun is 8 light-minutes

from Earth

The nearest star, Proxima Centauri,

is four light years from the Sun

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=ClQVaPRtG4Dx0M&tbnid=wVwwR-l6t_WulM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/User:Fansdisney&ei=p-uxUfzcGqPEyQHWkIHgAQ&bvm=bv.47534661,d.aWc&psig=AFQjCNGR4YgZBEhfXhkks4wVCvXCjOaggg&ust=1370700944755092

Disk

Bulge

Halo

Hot Young Stars

Spiral Arms

Dust Lanes

Galactic Center

The Sun

Light takes 100,000 years to cross the Milky Way

Our Home

Meet the Neighbors

Proxima Centauri Alpha/Beta Centauri Most nearby stars are

small, dim and cool

100 Light Years

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=V6AV47-oz3cznM&tbnid=qHnMa_4orVM2aM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://www.andromedachild.com/2011/01/look-again-at-plough-or-big-dipper.html&ei=-_uxUaDuA-OhyAH52YCwDQ&bvm=bv.47534661,d.aWc&psig=AFQjCNHB6wsrmJhjXjXoJ4accxiVn_0FHQ&ust=1370705196878451

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=dlO-DQiTqbBofM&tbnid=VglG8-ywfheDXM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://www.sciencemag.org/content/301/5638/1345/F1.expansion&ei=gvyxUfX2HYOTyQHc2IGIAg&bvm=bv.47534661,d.aWc&psig=AFQjCNG2i6m0JYqS1QMyfn6tmLhJ1qLcGw&ust=1370705327837752

http://24.media.tumblr.com/cd6466de3881e896c65aa36225022ede/tumblr_mfjz9pL5zS1rmcrb6o1_1280.jpg

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=SxC7l6nj74e34M&tbnid=rbLqPycr3am8DM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://regulus-starnotes.blogspot.com/2012/01/irregular-regulus-thursday.html&ei=Tf2xUa-MEOmjyAGjyIDoBg&bvm=bv.47534661,d.aWc&psig=AFQjCNHJWK4dbtfVTJdCUCsJ55r9_QDeNA&ust=1370705605725774

http://www.ghostofaflea.com/archives/2008_11.html

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=9SuyaYZPY1CjXM&tbnid=Rs_PjlCsfd6lMM:&ved=0CAgQjRwwAA&url=http://astropixels.com/stars/Fomalhaut-01.html&ei=3_2xUcXsOeTYyQHU8YG4Bg&psig=AFQjCNGqaiKsoQdWb8i4AmfpRuQKGU1zNA&ust=1370705759987622

500 Light YearsPolaris

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=RH4pEM7a7E9O-M&tbnid=x1n06_OCns1f_M:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://www.itechpost.com/articles/9812/20130526/ss-cygni-binary-star-system-mystery-solved-help-amateur-astronomers.htm&ei=BxSyUfKNI8H1ygG17YGgDg&bvm=bv.47534661,d.aWc&psig=AFQjCNG6e_nJqJDlWrRbHBVwpoBP3Y1dKA&ust=1370711393102211

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=QkihK_1z3rnBqM&tbnid=D8X9otsRin-iCM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap050603.html&ei=WRWyUff-FKagywHsg4DYAQ&bvm=bv.47534661,d.aWc&psig=AFQjCNFD8BtPQJcdCxKfLg8WDtSrw2ZEGw&ust=1370711760561574

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=oPzphpjLj_1fTM&tbnid=qDAbdkLSH-nvfM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://www.physicsforums.com/blog.php?b=26&ei=XReyUfWZMY6gyQHgxoD4Bg&psig=AFQjCNGGID1mMQlIeMH8GYLispp0k1_MRw&ust=1370712237125358

Orion Nebula

Distance: ~1300 light years

X

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0205/orione_mallart_full.jpg

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=V4kcbv9gEH-l-M&tbnid=VEMpfhy6V7A3NM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://www.nrao.edu/pr/2013/localarm/&ei=7iGyUaT_NqnGywGQzICgAQ&psig=AFQjCNFBjKHwZfsk28q-Nxp9zk1Qs5HfkQ&ust=1370714911627677

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0302/orion_spinelli_full.jpg

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0302/orion_spinelli_full.jpg

Orion Nebula

Distance: ~1300 light years

X



http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0212/orineb2_gendler_full.jpg

Pillars of Creation

Lower density gas has been eroded away, leaving pillars of higher density gas where stars are forming

Eagle Nebulawith Hubble

X



Crab Nebula

The remnant of an exploded star

The explosion was recorded in 1054 CE

ESO

X



Ring Nebula

The remnant of a dying star

The ring will fade, and the central star will become a white dwarf

X

WIYN



Globular Cluster

Messier 3Age – 13

billion years500,000 stars

WIYN

X



Cygnus X-1

A binary star containing a black hole

Mass from the star is pulled into the black hole

X



http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=L8GW8rwSAXUFVM&tbnid=-uJL_wMH3ylsMM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://www.daviddarling.info/childrens_encyclopedia/Build_a_Time_Machine_Chapter4.html&ei=TTSyUfaLJMjQyAGMoYCgCw&psig=AFQjCNFyjc-2o2hSAwoDuwGsaQE2sp4Xdw&ust=1370719679416132

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=0YcGnfnKc0xcnM&tbnid=J5LioCXEHWT8kM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2007/blackhole_weight.html&ei=ZDSyUe2aN8jQyAGMoYCgCw&psig=AFQjCNFyjc-2o2hSAwoDuwGsaQE2sp4Xdw&ust=1370719679416132

The Galacti

c Center!In visual light, this region is hidden from us by gas and dust that dim the light by a factor of 10 billion!

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=O1EMBqmchZkaUM&tbnid=2K2lzAbYwF265M:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~tanner/gcintro.html&ei=SDuyUfmIEOTuyAHB6ICoBA&psig=AFQjCNFTQRccEfr77tKA091QzqBe8gluGQ&ust=1370721465597353

The Galactic

Center in Infrared

LightThe dust is transparent to infrared light, and we can see through the gas and dust to observe the Galactic Center

The Galaxy hosts a super-massive black hole at its

heart!

Orbits of stars around the central mass is consistent with a 4 million solar mass object at the Galactic Center


Massive Black Hole!

• Detected in infrared, radio, and x-ray light

• Mass 4 million times the Sun’s mass

• Growing slowly through accretion

• All big galaxies host central black holes

A Gas Cloud

Approaches the Black Hole!

The cloud will pass within 36 light hours next month (July)

~3 Earth masses~2000 miles per sec

Animation!


The Universe Contains

Many Spiral Galaxies

We learn about our Milky Way from other galaxies

Forming the Milky Way

Galaxies like the Milky Way form from the consolidation of many primordial gas clouds

Collisions of gas clouds

create bursts of star

formation to shape the

Galaxy


The Milky Way Is Still Growing

Nearby dwarf galaxy discovered in 1994 in the direction of Sagittarius

Distance about 88,000 light yearsMerging with the Milky Way

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/Sagdwarf_not_big.gif

Galaxy’s

“New”Tidal

Stream

Sagittarius orbits the Milky WayThe orbital period is about a billion years“Tidal stream” of stars from Sagittarius

circles the Milky Way


The Local Grou

pThe Milky Way is

part of a small group of galaxies known as the local group

Andromdea GalaxyMilky Way GalaxyTriangulum GalaxyMany small ones

2.5 million light years


Galaxy Collision!

The Local Group Is Part of an EVEN BIGGER Group

The Local Group is part of the Virgo Super Cluster of Galaxy Groups

Newly Discovered Galaxy!

The Leo P galaxy was just discovered here at IU using the WIYN Telescope

Five million light years from the Milky Way

Undisturbed, in an empty part of nearby space

Our Home in the Cosmos

Caty Pilachowski Mini-University 2013 Our Milky Way in Space and Time.

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