Based on data from the GAIA observatory, Chinese experts have calculated the mass of the Milky Way at 805 billion suns.
Simulate the shape of the Milky Way.
Simulate the shape of the Milky Way. (Picture: iЅtock).
Numbers 805 billion solar masses Although it looks rather large, it is actually significantly smaller than that estimated by a group of American scientists in 2019. Measuring the mass of the Milky Way galaxy is impossible with current technology, so Researchers can only make estimates with increasing accuracy in recent years.
A team of scientists from the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences detailed the method behind their calculation in an article published in the Astrophysics Journal, Interesting engineering On April 24, it was reported. The study authors used a larger dataset, including 260,000 stars. Much of this data comes from the GAIA observatory, launched in 2013 from the French European spaceport. The ship’s mission is to create a three-dimensional map of astronomical objects in the Milky Way. Thus, its data serves as a complete map of this galaxy.
Based on the dataset, scientists conducted a survey of the Milky Way and measured rotation curve of this one. The rotation curve indicates the orbital speed of an astronomical object relative to the radial distance from the galactic center. The team also takes dark matter into account in its calculations. in the article they said The new estimate is the most accurate measurement ever of the Milky Way’s curvature. However, the data set of 260,000 stars is still relatively small because the Milky Way is believed to contain at least 100 billion stars of varying masses.
In 2019, another team of scientists from the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland estimated the Milky Way to have a mass of 1.5 trillion suns. For the calculation, they used the Hubble telescope and GAIA data to measure the three-dimensional motion of the globular clusters. “We wanted to know more precisely the mass of the Milky Way so that it could be compared to simulations of galaxies in the evolving universe.”explains STScI scientist Roeland van der Marel.
Article source: VnExpress
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Based on data from the GAIA observatory, Chinese experts have calculated the mass of the Milky Way at 805 billion suns.
