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Astronomers have created a beautiful atlas of 400,000 galaxies in the cosmic neighbourhood of Milky Way. The atlas features detailed images of numerous galaxies, which are not only available for astronomers but can also be accessed by the general public online for free. 

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The cosmic atlas, called the Siena Galaxy Atlas (SGA), is a digital atlas that was created to get to know our universe better through several of the known galaxies. 

Siena Galaxy Atlas (SGA): A Cosmic atlas and its purpose 

The digital atlas of galaxies was created using data from three astronomical surveys collected between 2014 and 2017 at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) and Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO). Together these surveys are known as the DESI Legacy Surveys.

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Cosmic atlases help astronomers spot patterns that help categorise new discoveries, such as stars that suddenly flare and then disappear (thus called ‘transients’). These atlases also allow astronomers to identify which objects are contenders for detailed follow-up studies. 

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These databases must also be constantly updated to keep up with those discoveries, especially in the modern age when telescope technologies continue to rapidly improve. The SGA atlas represents peak accuracy in this regard. 

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The SGA promises to be a gold mine of galactic information for scientists aiming to investigate everything, from the births and evolutions of galaxies to the distribution of dark matter and propagation of gravitational waves through space. 

"Nearby large galaxies are important because we can study them in more detail than any other galaxies in the universe; they are our cosmic neighbours," John Moustakas, SGA project leader and a physics professor at Siena College, said in a statement. "Not only are they strikingly beautiful, but they also hold the key to understanding how galaxies form and evolve, including our very own Milky Way galaxy."

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How is SGA different from previous cosmic atlases?

The SGA is dependent on state-of-the-art digital images captured by advanced technology, unlike previous atlases which relied on antiquated equipment and photographic plates. 

Also, what really sets SGA apart is the accuracy of data. As it is built on the images captured with highly sensitive instruments, it boasts of having the most accurate data.

It is also the first cosmic atlas to feature the light profiles of galaxies - a curve that describes how the brightness of the galaxy changes from its brightest point to its dimmest. 

(With inputs from agencies)

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