The most detailed map of galaxies, black holes and stars ever made | Juna Kollmeier
TLDRThe speaker recounts a personal journey from fearing to embracing the darkness, highlighting humanity's ancient fascination with the cosmos. They delve into the history of astronomical mapping, from ancient relics to the modern Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), which uses advanced technology and a 'creative army' to explore celestial objects. The SDSS-V aims to map millions of objects, including stars, black holes, and galaxies, emphasizing the importance of continuous observation to understand cosmic evolution. The talk also celebrates citizen scientists, like Hanny van Arkel, who contribute to astronomical discoveries, illustrating the collective quest to unravel the universe's mysteries.
Takeaways
- π The speaker's childhood fear of the dark evolved into a curiosity about the unknown, reflecting humanity's long-standing fascination with the cosmos.
- πΊοΈ Ancient civilizations attempted to map the stars, indicating a deep-rooted desire to understand the universe, as evidenced by relics like the 30,000-year-old tusk and the 6,000-year-old Fuxi star map.
- π The Nebra disk is a clear example of early astronomical knowledge, depicting moon phases and constellations like the Pleiades, showing the precision of ancient sky mapping.
- π‘οΈ Astronomers view understanding the universe as a collective battle against the unknown, a pursuit that has evolved from simple observations to sophisticated instruments and methodologies.
- π Mapping the sky fundamentally involves three elements: light-emitting objects, telescopes to collect light, and instruments to analyze it, as demonstrated by the historical collaboration between Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler.
- π The realization that the observable universe is finite has given astronomers a sense of possibility in mapping the entire cosmos, a task that requires a collaborative effort.
- π The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) is a large-scale project that divides the sky into three categories: stars, black holes, and galaxies, each with its own mapper.
- β¨ SDSS-V aims to measure the age of six million stars, which can provide insights into the history and formation of the Milky Way, akin to having numerous clocks spread across the galaxy.
- π Black holes, being perplexing objects without surfaces, offer a unique opportunity to study the material around them as it emits various forms of radiation, providing clues to their growth.
- π The Milky Way, like other galaxies, may have a history of self-destruction, with stars exploding and black holes growing, processes that SDSS aims to understand by observing these phenomena in detail.
- π€ SDSS-V introduces robotic technology in telescopes, with 1,000 robots in the focal plane of each telescope, capable of moving to capture light from celestial objects, showcasing the integration of modern technology in astronomical research.
- π The sky is not static; stars explode, and black holes grow, necessitating repeated mapping to capture these changes over time, which encode the physics of celestial evolution.
- π₯ SDSS promotes public participation in astronomy, as demonstrated by Hanny van Arkel's discovery, highlighting that anyone with curiosity can contribute to the field of astrophysics.
- π The speaker emphasizes the potential for humanity to map every large galaxy in the observable universe by 2060, provided the commitment to astronomical research and exploration continues.
Q & A
What was the speaker's childhood fear and how did it evolve over time?
-The speaker was afraid of the dark as a child, believing it to be the place where monsters hide. Over time, this fear transformed into curiosity about what exists in the darkness.
What is the significance of ancient relics in understanding human fascination with the sky?
-Ancient relics, such as the 30,000-year-old tusk and the 6,000-year-old Fuxi star map, demonstrate that humans have been fascinated with mapping the sky for thousands of years, reflecting a deep-seated desire to understand the cosmos.
What is the Nebra disk and what does it depict?
-The Nebra disk is an archaeological artifact that is uncontroversial in its depiction of celestial phenomena. It shows the Moon phases and the Sun during an eclipse, as well as a group of seven stars representing the Pleiades, or the Seven Sisters.
Why is mapping the sky considered a 'battle' and what are the three essential elements involved?
-Mapping the sky is considered a 'battle' because it is a challenging and ongoing endeavor to understand the universe. The three essential elements involved are the celestial objects emitting light, telescopes collecting that light, and instruments helping to interpret the light.
Who were Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler, and what was their contribution to astronomy?
-Tycho Brahe was a Danish astronomer and Johannes Kepler was his assistant. Together, they mapped over 1,000 stars with high precision, advancing our understanding of planetary motion around the Sun.
What is the concept of the 'observable universe' and why is it significant?
-The 'observable universe' refers to the finite part of the universe that we can see and study from Earth. It is significant because it suggests that there is a limit to what we can explore and understand, making the task of mapping the universe a winnable battle.
What is the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and its role in modern astronomy?
-The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) is a project that uses a large-scale, wide-field survey of the sky to collect data on millions of celestial objects. It is in its fifth generation and plays a crucial role in advancing our understanding of the universe through its extensive data collection and analysis.
How does the SDSS categorize its mapping efforts and what are the three main mappers?
-The SDSS categorizes its mapping efforts into three main areas: one for mapping stars, one for black holes, and one for galaxies. This division helps to focus on specific types of celestial objects and their unique characteristics.
What is unique about the SDSS-V's approach to mapping the sky and how does it differ from previous methods?
-SDSS-V introduces a fully robotic focal plane, using automated robots to capture light from celestial objects. This innovative approach differs from previous methods by increasing efficiency and precision in data collection.
What is the significance of mapping the sky multiple times and how does it contribute to our understanding of celestial objects?
-Mapping the sky multiple times allows astronomers to observe changes in celestial objects over time. These temporal changes provide valuable insights into the physics of the objects and their growth or transformation.
How does the SDSS encourage public participation and what is an example of a significant discovery made by a non-professional?
-The SDSS encourages public participation by making its data publicly available and usable to a broad range of audiences. An example of a significant discovery made by a non-professional is Hanny's Voorwerp, found by Dutch schoolteacher Hanny van Arkel, which has become a subject of major study.
What is the speaker's perspective on the future of mapping the observable universe and the potential impact of 'dark forces'?
-The speaker is optimistic about the future of mapping the observable universe, suggesting that by 2060, every large galaxy could be mapped. However, they also warn of 'dark forces' that could impede humanity's quest for understanding, urging the audience to fight against ignorance and join the pursuit of knowledge.
Outlines
π The Childhood Fear of Darkness and Human Curiosity
The speaker reflects on their childhood fear of the dark and how this fear evolved into curiosity about what lies within it. They explain that humans have been fascinated with understanding the darkness for thousands of years, as evidenced by ancient relics like the 30,000-year-old tusk and the 6,000-year-old Fuxi star map. The speaker emphasizes the long history of mapping the sky, driven by humanity's inherent curiosity to understand the universe. They discuss the importance of this endeavor and introduce the concept of mapping the sky as a battle against the darkness.
πͺ Mapping the Milky Way and Understanding Black Holes
The speaker discusses the challenge of mapping the vast number of stars in the Milky Way galaxy, focusing on the six million stars whose ages can be measured in the SDSS-V survey. This information helps unravel the history of the galaxy. They then delve into the perplexing nature of black holes, describing them as mathematical entities that emit various types of radiation when matter passes through their event horizon. The speaker explains that SDSS is studying over half a million supermassive black holes to understand their formation and growth.
π Ongoing Sky Surveys and Citizen Science
The speaker highlights the dynamic nature of the sky, emphasizing that stars explode and black holes grow constantly, necessitating repeated sky mapping. They describe the comprehensive efforts of the SDSS-V survey, which involves multiple telescopes and instruments to map the sky over time. The speaker also addresses the role of citizen scientists in making significant discoveries, like Hanny van Arkel's identification of a rare object in SDSS data. They conclude by celebrating humanity's ability to understand the universe and encourage others to join the effort, stressing the importance of continuing this work despite challenges.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Darkness
π‘Night Light
π‘Ancient Relics
π‘Fuxi Star Map
π‘Nebra Disk
π‘Astronomers
π‘Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)
π‘Telescopes
π‘Black Holes
π‘Pleiades
π‘Citizen Scientist
Highlights
The speaker's childhood fear of the dark and the evolution of that fear into curiosity about the unknown.
Ancient relics showing humanity's long-standing fascination with mapping the sky, including a 30,000-year-old tusk and the 6,000-year-old Fuxi star map.
The Nebra disk, an ancient artifact that clearly represents astronomical phenomena like moon phases and solar eclipses.
The concept of astronomy as a human endeavor to understand and conquer the unknown, symbolized by the battle against darkness.
The three essential elements of sky mapping: light-emitting objects, telescopes, and instruments for understanding the light.
The historical collaboration between Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler, who mapped 1,000 stars with high precision in the 1600s.
The realization倧约100εΉ΄ε that the universe, while infinite, has a finite observable extent, suggesting the possibility of fully mapping it.
The necessity of a collective effort, likened to an 'army,' to map the universe, emphasizing the collaborative nature of modern astronomy.
Introduction of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), a large-scale project that divides the sky into three mappers for stars, black holes, and galaxies.
The ambitious goal of SDSS-V to map six million stars in the Milky Way to understand the galaxy's history and formation.
The perplexing nature of black holes and the opportunity to learn about them by studying the material just before it crosses the event horizon.
SDSS's focus on over half a million supermassive black holes to understand their formation and growth.
The Milky Way's history of self-destruction and the processes of transformation within it, drawing an analogy to human development.
The technological advancements in SDSS-V, including the use of robotic focal planes in telescopes for capturing light from celestial objects.
The importance of repeatedly mapping the sky to observe changes over time, which encodes the physics of celestial objects' growth and evolution.
The story of Hanny's Voorwerp, discovered by a citizen scientist, demonstrating the accessibility of SDSS data and the potential for non-expert contributions.
The ongoing quest to answer fundamental questions, such as whether moons can have moons, highlighting the endless curiosity driving astronomy.
A visual representation of the growth in the number of galaxies mapped by astronomers since 1980, with a projection to map every large galaxy by 2060.
A call to action against the 'dark forces' that threaten humanity's pursuit of understanding the universe, emphasizing the importance of collective effort and curiosity.
Transcripts
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