Pan-Andromeda Archaeological Survey
Encyclopedia
Pan-Andromeda Archaeological Survey (PAndAS) is a large-scale astronomical survey using the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope
.
The survey is exploring the structure and content of the Andromeda Galaxy
(M31) and its neighbour, the Triangulum Galaxy
(M33). Clues to the formation of these galaxies may lie within the vast space being studied. PAndAS is searching for this history, hence the term "galactic archaeology".
The project is headed by Dr. Alan McConnachie at the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics
(NRC-HIA), and involves over twenty five investigators from that institute, as well as from universites in Canada, France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia.
Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope
The Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope is located near the summit of Mauna Kea mountain on Hawaii's Big Island at an altitude of 4,204 meters , and is one of the observatories that comprise the Mauna Kea Observatory...
.
The survey is exploring the structure and content of the Andromeda Galaxy
Andromeda Galaxy
The Andromeda Galaxy is a spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Andromeda. It is also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224, and is often referred to as the Great Andromeda Nebula in older texts. Andromeda is the nearest spiral galaxy to the...
(M31) and its neighbour, the Triangulum Galaxy
Triangulum Galaxy
The Triangulum Galaxy is a spiral galaxy approximately 3 million light years from Earth in the constellation Triangulum. It is catalogued as Messier 33 or NGC 598, and is sometimes informally referred to as the Pinwheel Galaxy, a nickname it shares with Messier 101...
(M33). Clues to the formation of these galaxies may lie within the vast space being studied. PAndAS is searching for this history, hence the term "galactic archaeology".
The project is headed by Dr. Alan McConnachie at the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics
Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics
The NRC Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics is the leading Canadian centre for astronomy and astrophysics.Named for the Nobel laureate Gerhard Herzberg, it was formed in 1975 as part of the National Research Council of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario...
(NRC-HIA), and involves over twenty five investigators from that institute, as well as from universites in Canada, France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia.
See also
- Extragalactic astronomyExtragalactic astronomyExtragalactic astronomy is the branch of astronomy concerned with objects outside our own Milky Way Galaxy. In other words, it is the study of all astronomical objects which are not covered by galactic astronomy, the next level of galactic astronomy....
- Observational cosmologyObservational cosmologyObservational cosmology is the study of the structure, the evolution and the origin of the universe through observation, using instruments such as telescopes and cosmic ray detectors.-Early observations:...
- Andromeda XXIAndromeda XXIAndromeda XXI is a moderately bright dwarf spheroidal galaxy about away from the Sun in the constellation Andromeda...
- Andromeda XXIIAndromeda XXIIAndromeda XXII is a low surface brightness dwarf spheroidal galaxy about away from the Sun in the constellation Pisces, of the Local Group....