Blog
International collaboration J-PAS publishes first data from mapping the Universe
With the participation of researchers from the University of São Paulo, the first research data shows the three-dimensional position of 100,000 stars and around 450,000 galaxies
Unseen image of the first sample published by J-PAS – Image:Jose Luis Lamadrid/Centro de Estudios de Física del Cosmos de Aragón
The Javalambre Physics of the Accelerating Universe Astrophysical Survey (J-PAS) project is making available to the scientific community the first 12 square degrees of the three-dimensional map of the Universe, made from the Astrophysical Observatory of Javalambre. The area studied contains 550,000 astronomical objects and is just a small sample of the entire research area, which will observe thousands of square degrees over ten years.
Professor Raul Abramo, from USP’s Institute of Physics (IF) and one of the project’s founders, explains that in a framework of 8,000 square degrees, it will be possible to identify around 1 billion space objects. The scientist says that there are several ways to observe the Universe and that each telescope, according to its technical approach, can do this differently: some capture many objects with less definition, while others restrict the capture depending on the visual quality of the image. J-PAS innovates by capturing a wide area of the Universe with sufficient quality to understand and deepen the content.
As of Wednesday, November 20, the first images and catalogs of this international project are fully accessible through the website. The first research data shows the three-dimensional position of 100,000 stars and around 450,000 galaxies. It is the first scientific demonstration of the power of the combination of the JST250 wide field telescope and its JPCam panoramic camera.
An unprecedented map
Each year, the project plans to increase the capture area by 500º – Image:Jose Luis Lamadrid/Centro de Estudios de Física del Cosmos de Aragón
J-PAS mapping is the result of a unique combination: observing a large volume of the Universe in an unprecedented number of photometric bands. The JPCam camera integrates 56 narrowband optical filters, unique at the international level and defined specifically for the project. In practice, this means having homogeneous multicolored information on all the objects observed. This makes it possible to determine astrophysical quantities such as the temperature and composition of stars or the age and distance of galaxies, among many others.
J-PAS should become the most complete photometric mapping of the Universe, as well as an international reference for a multitude of scientific applications. It will observe thousands of square degrees of sky with hundreds of millions of galaxies and stars. “Any future study of these objects will benefit from the information provided by J-PAS. As a legacy project, we believe that J-PAS will become one of the major international references in astrophysics in the next decade and this communication is the first step on that path,” says Carlos López San Juan, CEFCA’s deputy scientific director.
The project began to be conceived in 2009 and went through three main phases: theoretical conception of the design (three years); construction of the cameras and material (nine years) and installation and checking (two years).
Raul Abramo - Photo:Institute of Physics/USP
“It's fantastic to realize that our calculations from 15 years ago have made this wealth of information possible”
Information at every pixel
J-PAS now gives access to data corresponding to a total of 12 square degrees with the 56 filters in the project. The dataset consists of 25,000 images taken over the last year. J-PAS images are unique because they provide information on all the filters, but also on all the pixels in the observed area. The images themselves are calibrated, which means that the light intensity can be measured at any point in any survey on the 56 filters.
Hundreds of images are taken every night at the Astrophysical Observatory of Javalambre (OAJ), which uses a dedicateddata center for storage, management and calibration. The development of image processing tools is another milestone in the J-PAS project.
Astrophysical Observatory of Javalambre - Photo: Astrophysical Observatory of Javalambre
For Renato Dupke, from the National Observatory in Brazil: “[The project] not only has the unique potential to do unique science that other mappings don’t do, but it will also link to other scientific collaborations and projects that are being developed today.”
One of the biggest cameras in the world
The J-PAS project began taking its first scientific images about a year ago. This is the main project carried out with the JST250 telescope, a 2.5-meter wide angle telescope located at the Astrophysical Observatory of Javalambre (OAJ). Its scientific instrument is the Javalambre Panoramic Camera (JPCam) which, with more than 1.2 billion pixels, is currently one of the largest astronomical cameras in the world. The combination of JPCam and JST250 provides a powerful and unique tool, capable of mapping the Universe and measuring extragalactic distances with precision.
Focal plane of the JPCam, one of the largest astronomical cameras in the world - Photo:Publicity/J-PAS
International collaboration
J-PAS is managed through an international scientific collaboration. It is led by the Centro de Estudios de Física del Cosmos de Aragón (CEFCA) and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC) in Spain, and in Brazil by the National Observatory (ON) of Rio de Janeiro and by USP, and developed and scientifically explored through an international network with more than 250 researchers from 18 countries.
J-PAS is a project that will leave a legacy for the international scientific community and will offer a unique view of the Universe, both in terms of the quality and quantity of information it will provide for each of the hundreds of millions of astronomical objects it systematically observes. For Héctor Vazquez Ramió, “the most important thing is that this early communication gives an idea of what J-PAS can provide and the quality of that data”.
OAJ and the J-PAS Project are funded by CEFCA and the Governments of Aragon and Spain through the European Union’s Teruel Investment Fund under the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (NextGenerationEU) and the European Regional Development Funds. The Brazilian agencies Finep (Financing of Studies and Projects), Fapesp (São Paulo Research Foundation), Faperj (Carlos Chagas Filho Foundation for Research Support of the State of Rio de Janeiro) and Brazil’s National Observatory contributed to the funding of JPCam. Additional funding for J-PAS was provided by the University of Tartu Observatory and the J-PAS Chinese Astronomical Consortium.
*Intern under the supervision of Luiza Caires and information from the J-PAS Project
**Intern under the supervision of Moisés Dorado
More information: e-mail lrwabramo@gmail.com, with Raul Abramo
English version: Nexus Traduções
Política de uso
A reprodução de matérias e fotografias é livre mediante a citação do Jornal da USP e do autor. No caso dos arquivos de áudio, deverão constar dos créditos a Rádio USP e, em sendo explicitados, os autores. Para uso de arquivos de vídeo, esses créditos deverão mencionar a TV USP e, caso estejam explicitados, os autores. Fotos devem ser creditadas como USP Imagens e o nome do fotógrafo.
A reprodução de matérias e fotografias é livre mediante a citação do Jornal da USP e do autor. No caso dos arquivos de áudio, deverão constar dos créditos a Rádio USP e, em sendo explicitados, os autores. Para uso de arquivos de vídeo, esses créditos deverão mencionar a TV USP e, caso estejam explicitados, os autores. Fotos devem ser creditadas como USP Imagens e o nome do fotógrafo.