In a new survey named 3D-DASH for 3d-Drift and Shift, the Hubble Space Telescope explored a region several full moons in size looking for ancient galaxies rich in star formation. This survey used Hubble’s infrared capabilities to reveal details hidden by dust in the earlier COSMOS survey, which looked at the sky in wavelengths closer to what our eyes can see. Between COSMOS and 3D-DASH, Hubble surveys are allowing researchers to explore in detail how age, structure, environment, and other factors come together to shape the universe.

This survey is released in The Astrophysical Journal and led by Lamiya Mowla, who explains: I am curious about giant galaxies, which are the most massive ones in the Universe formed by the mergers of other galaxies. How did their structures grow, and what drove the changes in their form? It was difficult to study these extremely rare events using existing images, which is what motivated the design of this large survey.

If you find yourself thinking, “Why is Hubble doing infrared surveys when JWST is about to start science?” Well, that’s a fair question. JWST hadn’t actually launched when this research was started, and Hubble sees the sky in different colors than JWST, with Hubble seeing shorter wavelengths of infrared – ones closer to what our eyes can see – than what JWST will be able to see. It is hoped that the work that Hubble has done in this region, with both the COSMOS and 3D-DASH surveys, is just the appetizer for what JWST will be able to do if it works as planned.

And on July 12, we should see just what JWST is capable of. NASA has announced that the first images will be released as part of a live broadcast from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. We will cover this event live on Twitch.tv/CosmoQuestX.

More Information

MPIA press release

“3D-DASH: The Widest Near-Infrared Hubble Space Telescope Survey,” Lamiya A. Mowla et al., to be published in The Astrophysical Journal (preprint on arxiv.org)

JWST press release