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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

A radio-optical composite of M33.

A radio-optical composite of M33, the first galaxy to have its motion tracked across the sky.


March 3, 2005

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

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.

-NSF-

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

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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