200 000 galaxies in this 6 TB IR photo!! Deepest IR sky view ever taken

ESO's VISTA telescope has created the widest deep view of the sky ever made using infrared light. This new picture of an unremarkable patch of sky comes from the UltraVISTA survey and reveals more than 200 000 galaxies. It forms just one part of a huge collection of fully processed images from all the VISTA surveys that is now being made available by ESO to astronomers worldwide. UltraVISTA is a treasure trove that is being used to study distant galaxies in the early Universe as well as for many other science projects.

"COSMOS" field

ESO’s VISTA telescope has been trained on the same patch of sky repeatedly to slowly accumulate the very dim light of the most distant galaxies. In total more than six thousand separate exposures with a total effective exposure time of 55 hours, taken through five different coloured filters, have been combined to create this picture. This image from the UltraVISTA survey is the deepest infrared view of the sky of its size ever taken.

Read the full press release nd see the hi-res view at ESO

The UltraVISTA survey has been devoted to the COSMOS field ( eso1124, heic0701), an apparently almost empty patch of sky which has already been extensively studied using other telescopes, including the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. UltraVISTA is the deepest of the six VISTA surveys by far and reveals the faintest objects.



This chart shows the location of the COSMOS field in the constellation of Sextans (The Sextant). This map shows most of the stars visible to the unaided eye under good conditions, and the COSMOS field is marked as a blue square. Through a small telescope nothing can be seen here apart from a few faint stars, but this small patch of sky has been studied in great detail by telescopes on the ground and in space.

Take also a look at this amazing video where we literally plunge into deep space:

Zooming into VISTA's deep view of the COSMOS field

This video offers a zoom on UltraVISTA — the widest deep view of the sky ever taken using infrared light. The sequence starts with view of most of the sky. We zoom towards the faint constellation of Sextans (The Sextant) and then close in on a much-studied region of sky called the COSMOS field. The final very detailed infrared view comes from the VISTA telescope at ESO’s Paranal Observatory.

In each of these galaxies, there are billions of stars, most of them with tens of planets. And we have the nerve to believe we are the only ones? What a waste of space would that be, wouldn't it?

Nice find OP!!

F&S!

and yet the size of the EGO

of each of most 7 billion humans

when will we ever learn??

Amazing! Just amazing!
Is it crazy that every time I look at videos/pictures of space, I always look for alien crafts?
>.>
take meeeeeeeee hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooome!!!!!!

And some people actually think that there is nothing out there but rocks...
We have lifeforms living at the bottom of highly toxic lakes and miles under the ice caps but there is just no way that there could be ANYTHING out there?

reply to post by elevenaugust
This is awesome! And this is only a small portion of the sky! Thank you op

reply to post by BiggerPicture
Your name suits this thread very well

Nudge the camera an inch either way and MIILIONS more will appear.

Its the same in ALL directions.

And people think we are the only ones

Sounds like this pic is going to make me go over on my data usage.

Absolute beauty. This is our Ocean, We live on a Beautiful rock, in an Ocean of Stars, Galaxies, Dust, Matter, Dark matter, Gravity, Magnetism, other Organisms etc etc.
Seriously....Human knowledge of Our Universe (Yes ours, we are IT, IT is us) is still at the Infantile level, maybe in 1,000,000 years we can "See" the truth.
I wonder how many of our "Experts" and God lovers will tell us this is all CGI..
Yes i'm being cynical...sometime you just gotta.

Originally posted by RooskiZombi
Amazing! Just amazing!
Is it crazy that every time I look at videos/pictures of space, I always look for alien crafts?
>.>
take meeeeeeeee hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooome!!!!!!

Now where did I park my ship?
Truly amaizing! Makes me wonder what are aliens up to out there.
Thanks OP. Got me a nice screen saver now

200,000 galaxies in this 6 TB IR photo!! Deepest IR sky view ever taken,
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I count 200,001

Wonder what would happen if they left it set up for even longer exposures
- I bet even more distant galaxy's would appear in that field

Originally posted by TimesUp
And some people actually think that there is nothing out there but rocks...
We have lifeforms living at the bottom of highly toxic lakes and miles under the ice caps but there is just no way that there could be ANYTHING out there?

Actually the NASA scientists have admitted to microbial life. Sentient non terrestrial life on the other hand is something they won't admit to.

reply to post by elevenaugust


Nice! I for one also think it's weird how people can't get it in their heads that we are not alone in this massive, ultra massive place. There has to be other civilizations that are say million years ahead in their technology and also those that are behind us. Apparently this picture is only a small fraction of the "sky" as well... Just imagine......

I do also believe that others have already been here and are still here today, watching, observing life... I know I would. It's creation in it's finest any way you look at it.

reply to post by elevenaugust


Hi 11/8
I love deep space photos. I hope these are enhanced like some of the nebula ones from hubble.
But I am having trouble getting anything to appear on my monitor.
Maybe there is to much data in the files. All I get is the windows with a little red x. I am a computer nerd. Can you make a suggestion that might help me see these beauties?
thanks 11/8
ljb

Cancel, they are appearing slowly now

Its pretty humbling that we live in an age where we can realize just how expansive, everything is. Kinda scary actually.

This is my passion....the stars.

Thanks OP

just makes me even more frustrated that people still have the human ignorance and arrogance to think that we are the pinnacle of the universe, figuratively and physically..

the distance between the stars is truly AWEsome..

and people have the nerve to say, 'Well, if there were such things as aliens, they would visit us."

We are NOT that damn important outside our home planet, and that's just the truth.

Originally posted by longjohnbritches
reply to post by elevenaugust

 

Hi 11/8
I love deep space photos. I hope these are enhanced like some of the nebula ones from hubble.
But I am having trouble getting anything to appear on my monitor.
Maybe there is to much data in the files. All I get is the windows with a little red x. I am a computer nerd. Can you make a suggestion that might help me see these beauties?
thanks 11/8
ljb

Cancel, they are appearing slowly now

edit on 21-3-2012 by longjohnbritches because: cancel

Yes, I forgot to add that due to the size of the picture, I could possibly slow down your computer!

reply to post by artistpoet

Yes! 55 hours is already a very long exposure time, I guess that they used some filters to decrease the brightness of the brightest stars, otherwise their luminosity could impress the whole scene.

It sends my mind/brain into overdrive! Can you even begin to comprehend just how many galaxies this incredible universe holds? Where does it all end? When did it begin? What is the meaning?

Seriously...words just can't describe what I am thinking. It just can't. I mean this is almost unimaginable on how big this universe is. Common sense just states that the mathematical odds of another living "human" like alien is so fricking real. Nice find OP!!

reply to post by RooskiZombi


hahah I love this comment xD

I cant wait to join our space brothers/sisters as well We are getting there, just open up your minds and hearts