300,000 New Galaxies Revealed
An astronomical survey involving more than 200 astronomers from 18 different countries have published a study of the night sky that has revealed in the realm of 300,000 previously unknown galaxies, with more expected to be found using the same method.
The team of scientists utilized a Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) telescope located in the Netherlands – a telescope so strong it can detect light sources that optical instruments can’t see – in order to find jets of radiation created when galaxies merge.
The LOFAR Two-Metre Sky Survey (LoTSS) used the telescope to observe a mere 2 percent of the Northern sky, where it detected more than 300,000 sources; for approximately half of the radio sources, their distance was also determined.
Yet another reason to take a moment today to marvel at the vastness of the Universe and our very unique position as a part of the same.
The videos below provide a visualization of the data obtained during the unique survey.