Galaxies in the GOODS
Explanation:
This tantalizing view of galaxies scattered near and far is part of the
Hubble Space Telescope's
contribution
to the GOODS - the
Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey project.
The GOODS'
goal is to study
galaxy
formation and evolution over an unprecedent wide range of
cosmic
distances, therefore spanning
time from
the present to the early Universe.
Joined by the
Chandra
X-ray Observatory and soon by the anticipated
Space
Infrared Telescope Facility
along with major ground-based
observatories, the project expands greatly on the past
Hubble Deep Fields of regions in the northern constellation of
Ursa Major and southern constellation Tucana.
Across the
electromagnetic
spectrum, a sample of
large nearby galaxies,
like the interacting pair at the lower left above, will be compared with
distant younger
galaxies in a search for clues to the origins of
these
lighthouses of the cosmos.
Preliminary results of the project confirm that the birth rate
of stars was higher in the past and that galaxies
have indeed been
constructed from
the "bottom up", growing
from mergers and accretion of small infant galaxies to their
present day forms.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
