Image software

Investigate: Measure the Size of a Galaxy

Have you ever wondered how big a galaxy is? They contain millions to billions of stars but what does that really mean for size?

Reading about sizes in a book is one thing, but what if you could make an observation of a galaxy and then measure its size?



Picture of a galaxy with a ruler next to it and question marks


Software

An image of a globular cluster of stars taken by the telescope
A star cluster image taken by the telescope
and analysed by our software

Did you know that scientists use special computer programs to explore space? These programs help them control telescopes, take pictures, and plan their observations.