Stars of the Phantom galaxy: Your likelihood to shine in Nasa’s Astrophoto problem

This summer time, house fans have a novel alternative to look into the cosmos and create their very own celestial masterpieces. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) has launched its Astrophoto Challenge for 2023, inviting members to discover the mysterious buildings of the Phantom Galaxy, also referred to as M74, and translate uncooked astronomical information into beautiful visuals.

The competitors, which kicked off on Monday and extends till July 31, invitations members to seize real-time telescope photos utilizing the MicroObservatory robotic telescope community. Alternatively, members can delve into archival information recordsdata from Nasa, ESA, and CSA house telescope missions, together with Webb, Hubble, Chandra, Spitzer, and XMM-Newton, providing a multi-wavelength perspective of the cosmos.

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The main focus of this 12 months’s problem is the enigmatic Phantom Galaxy. Positioned within the constellation Pisces, M74 is a spiral galaxy estimated to deal with round 100 billion stars. It’s gained consideration from researchers following the detection of three supernovas in 2002, 2003, and 2013, and suspicions of a uncommon intermediate-mass black gap.

For these unfamiliar with astronomical picture processing, concern not. Nasa’s Astrophoto Challenge offers members with entry to JS9-4L, a learner-friendly model of the JS9 picture processing instrument. This web-based software program, well-liked amongst skilled astronomers, simplifies the transformation of uncooked information into vivid composite photos.

How to hitch?

To be part of the summer time 2023 Astrophoto Challenge and delve into the Phantom Galaxy’s billion stars, comply with the hyperlink supplied by Nasa.

Nasa’s Astrophoto Challenge for summer time 2023 is an open invitation for the general public to interact with house exploration, bringing the celebrities inside attain of beginner astronomers and house fans alike.