Astronomers have unveiled detailed images of five galaxies in the local universe, captured by the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Northern Chile's Atacama Desert. These observations, part of the VST Survey of Mass Assembly and Structural Hierarchy (VST-SMASH), reveal intricate details of the galaxies' shapes, structures, and star distributions.
Among the featured galaxies is IC 5332, a spiral galaxy located approximately 30 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor. The collection also includes the well-known Southern Pinwheel galaxy (NGC 5236 or M83), situated about 15 million light-years from Earth.
These galaxies were selected for study due to their proximity to the Euclid space telescope's observation area, which will provide additional data in blue wavelengths, complementing the VLT's red and near-infrared observations.
Project leader Crescenzo Tortora emphasized the importance of understanding galaxy formation in relation to their mass and morphology. The study aims to trace the faint structures and satellite galaxies surrounding these larger systems, offering insights into cosmic structure formation.
Notably, the irregular dwarf galaxy Sextans A and NGC 3109, both located around 4 million light-years away, are also included in the observations. The VLT's large field of view enabled these deep observations in a relatively short timeframe.
Tortora remarked on the significance of this project, stating, “This is the first time that all these galaxies are observed in such a deep and detailed fashion and with homogeneous data.” The Vera Rubin Observatory, currently under construction, is expected to provide similar insights in the future, but the VST remains a critical tool for understanding low surface brightness galaxies.