30,000 galaxies in the EoR0 field

30,000 Galaxies in the EoR0 Field

This wide, deep radio picture was assembled to accompany the paper “Parametrizing Epoch of Reionization foregrounds: a deep survey of low-frequency point-source spectra with the Murchison Widefield Array”. It was captured with the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) radio telescope and, at the time of writing, stands as the deepest image the MWA has produced.

Deep MWA radio image of the EoR0 field showing thousands of point-like galaxies and diffuse Milky Way emission — Deep MWA radio view of the EoR0 field

Nearly every dot of light in the frame is a distant galaxy, and altogether more than 30,000 of them can be told apart. The view spans roughly 40 by 40 degrees of sky. Most of these galaxies are unresolved and appear as simple points, yet a number of them reveal more intricate shapes. The soft reddish glow near the middle of the image comes from patches of synchrotron radiation emitted by our own Milky Way. Sensitivity drops off toward the borders, which is why the outer regions look noisier.

Tagged under: Astronomy

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the EoR0 field?

EoR0 is the target field used for the Epoch of Reionization observations described here. The deep radio image on this page spans about 40 x 40 degrees of sky within that field.

Which telescope was used to make this image?

It was produced with the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) radio telescope and, at the time of writing, was the deepest image made with the MWA.

Why do the edges of the image look noisy?

The telescope loses sensitivity near the edges of the image, so those areas appear noisier than the centre.

What are the reddish diffuse structures in the centre?

They are patches of synchrotron radiation from our own Milky Way, showing up as diffuse emission behind the many point-like sources.

Where can I read the underlying research?

The image accompanies the article “Parametrizing Epoch of Reionization foregrounds: a deep survey of low-frequency point-source spectra with the Murchison Widefield Array”, available via its DOI.

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