The browser you are using is not supported by this website. All versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported, either by us or Microsoft (read more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Please use a modern browser to fully experience our website, such as the newest versions of Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari etc.

29

Oct

Mapping the Milky Way in 3D

29 October 2025 13:00 to 14:30 | Seminar
Spiral arms

Mark J. Reid,
Senior Radio Astronomer at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, part of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Abstract: The Bar and Spiral Structure Legacy (BeSSeL) Survey uses Very Long Baseline Interferometry to provide trigonometric parallax measurements for massive, young stars across the entire Milky Way. We have measured about 200 parallaxes with precision of order +/-10 microarcseconds. These accurately trace the spiral structure of the Milky Way, and allow estimation of the distance to its center, its rotation curve, and the location of the Sun. Also, we have developed a Bayesian approach to leverage these results to estimate distances to thousands of sources from surveys based only on Galactic coordinates and LSR velocities. This aids us in making a realistic visualization of the Milky Way.  

About the event

Location:

Geocentrum I, Gotland (first floor, on the right)

Language:

English

Contact:

anastasiia [dot] plotnikova [at] geol [dot] lu [dot] se

Categories
Ursa Minor astronomy seminars