Measuring the Sizes & Shapes of Galaxies
Grade Level at Time of Presentation
Junior
Major
Physics
Minor
Mathematics
Institution
University of Louisville
KY House District #
38
KY Senate District #
37
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Dr. Benne Holwerda
Department
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
We use software to get galaxy morphometrics, so we can go into further study. However, in the coming decade, new surveys are expected to increase galaxy count one thousand fold, and we will be lagging behind in computation. Therefore, we looked into software alternatives than what we use now to see how quick, precise, and accurate the parameters we get. We looked into a software called Source Extractor and compared its computations to GALFIT and then correlate with spectroscopic redshift. Source Extractor ran for 8-10 hours, substantially quicker than GALFIT, but it not precise as GALFIT. It does, however, show trends that agree with current understanding, and the models used in Source Extractor can be used to discern morphology of galaxies. Overall, Source Extractor would be good for a quick first look.
Measuring the Sizes & Shapes of Galaxies
We use software to get galaxy morphometrics, so we can go into further study. However, in the coming decade, new surveys are expected to increase galaxy count one thousand fold, and we will be lagging behind in computation. Therefore, we looked into software alternatives than what we use now to see how quick, precise, and accurate the parameters we get. We looked into a software called Source Extractor and compared its computations to GALFIT and then correlate with spectroscopic redshift. Source Extractor ran for 8-10 hours, substantially quicker than GALFIT, but it not precise as GALFIT. It does, however, show trends that agree with current understanding, and the models used in Source Extractor can be used to discern morphology of galaxies. Overall, Source Extractor would be good for a quick first look.