Physics Home > Teaching Labs > Astronomy > The Large Scale Structure of the Universe

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Lab Activities

Much of what is known about the structure of the nearer universe has been found from redshift surveys. Using Hubble's Law, the measured redshifts of galaxies can be converted to distance and the position of the galaxy on the sky gives its direction. One technique used in determining structure is to measure redshifts of galaxies in a long narrow strip across the sky. This provides a slice of the universe that reveals the distribution of the galaxies in space.

The purpose of this lab is to acquaint you with the techniques employed in redshift surveys. Your class will look at 218 galaxies in order to make a map from measurements of their redshifts. There are currently a number of redshift surveys underway using multi-object spectrographs to increase the observing speed. These include the 2df and Sloan surveys which combined will measure redshifts for well over a million galaxies.

Course Level

Introductory

Student Handouts

Equipment

Number of set-ups available: 1 Per lab station: 1 computer workstation with the appropriate software installed 1 flexible plastic ruler with cm rulings

Notes

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