News Release 05-027
Astronomers Follow Distant Galaxy at a Snail's Pace
M33 tracked across the sky, rather than toward or away from Earth
March 3, 2005
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In a feat akin to tracking a snail across the surface of Mars--only more arduous--astronomers using the National Science Foundation's Very Long Baseline Array telescope system have made the first measurements of a neighboring galaxy's "proper" motion across the sky—a finding that could yield important new insight into the history and fate of our own galaxy.
For more information, see the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's press release.
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M33's motion relative to Andromeda (M31) and the Milky Way.
Credit and Larger Version
Media Contacts
Dave Finley, NRAO, (505) 835-7302, email: dfinley@nrao.edu
M. Mitchell Waldrop, NSF, (703) 292-8070, email: mwaldrop@nsf.gov
David Aguilar, Center for Astrophysics, (617) 495-7462, email: daguilar@cfa.harvard.edu
Program Contacts
Andrew W. Clegg, NSF, (703) 292-4892, email: aclegg@nsf.gov
Related Websites
The Very Long Baseline Array site: http://www.vlba.nrao.edu/
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