TED2018
Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil: A rare galaxy that's challenging our understanding of the universe
Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil: Una galàxia poc comuna que desafia la nostra comprensió de l'univers.
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Què se sent en descobrir una galàxia... i que li posin el teu nom? L'astrofísica i becària de TED Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil ens explica en aquesta xerrada curta el sorprenent descobriment del seu equip d'un nou i misteriós tipus de galàxia.
Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil - Astrophysicist
Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil studies the structure and dynamics of galaxies to help us understand how they form and evolve. Full bio
Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil studies the structure and dynamics of galaxies to help us understand how they form and evolve. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
There are more than a trillion
galaxies in the universe.
galaxies in the universe.
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A l'univers
hi ha més d'un bilió de galàxies.
hi ha més d'un bilió de galàxies.
00:17
And my team discovered
an extremely rare one,
an extremely rare one,
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El meu equip ha descobert
una galàxia molt poc comuna
una galàxia molt poc comuna
00:21
a galaxy that doesn't look
quite like anything observed before.
quite like anything observed before.
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que no s'assembla gens
a cap altra que s'hagi observat abans.
a cap altra que s'hagi observat abans.
00:27
This galaxy is so peculiar,
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Aquesta galàxia és tan característica
00:29
that it challenges our theories
and our assumptions
and our assumptions
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que desafia
les nostres teories i suposicions
les nostres teories i suposicions
00:33
about how the universe works.
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sobre el funcionament de l'univers.
00:37
The majority of the galaxies are spiral,
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La majoria de les galàxies són espirals,
00:40
similar to our own Milky Way.
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semblants a la nostra Via Làctia.
00:42
We have strong theories about how
these common galaxies form and evolve.
these common galaxies form and evolve.
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Tenim teories sòlides sobre la formació
i l'evolució d'aquestes galàxies,
i l'evolució d'aquestes galàxies,
00:48
But we don't understand
how rare galaxies form and evolve.
how rare galaxies form and evolve.
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però no entenem com es formen
i evolucionen les galàxies poc comunes.
i evolucionen les galàxies poc comunes.
00:55
An especially puzzling rare case
is Hoag's Object.
is Hoag's Object.
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L'Objecte de Hoag
és un cas curiós.
és un cas curiós.
01:00
It has a very symmetric central body
surrounded by a circular outer ring,
surrounded by a circular outer ring,
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Té un cos central simètric
envoltat per un anell exterior,
envoltat per un anell exterior,
01:07
with nothing visible connecting them.
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però no hi ha res visible
que els connecti.
que els connecti.
01:10
Hoag-type galaxies are among the rarest
types of galaxies currently known.
types of galaxies currently known.
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Les galàxies d'aquest tipus
són de les menys comunes que coneixem.
són de les menys comunes que coneixem.
01:16
There are fewer than one
in 1,000 galaxies.
in 1,000 galaxies.
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N'hi ha menys d'una per cada mil galàxies.
01:22
It's a mystery how the stars
in the outer ring are just floating there
in the outer ring are just floating there
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Que les estrelles de l'anell exterior
flotin d'una forma tan ordenada
flotin d'una forma tan ordenada
01:28
in such an orderly manner.
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és un misteri.
01:30
That's interesting, right?
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Oi que és interessant?
01:33
Hold on.
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Doncs prepareu-vos
01:34
Things are about to get more mysterious.
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que la cosa es posa més interessant.
01:37
The galaxy that my team
discovered is even rarer
discovered is even rarer
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La galàxia que el meu equip ha descobert
és encara menys poc comuna
és encara menys poc comuna
01:41
and much more complex than that.
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i molt més complexa.
01:44
You know, sometimes, you search
and search for these objects,
and search for these objects,
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De vegades
no parem de buscar aquests objectes
no parem de buscar aquests objectes
01:48
and you find nothing.
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sense cap resultat.
01:50
But sometimes, it just appears
in the background,
in the background,
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I d'altres apareixen del no-res
01:55
when you are not even looking for it.
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quan ni tan sols les buscàvem.
01:58
This system looks very similar
to Hoag's Object,
to Hoag's Object,
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Aquest sistema
s'assembla molt a l'Objecte de Hoag.
s'assembla molt a l'Objecte de Hoag.
02:01
with its central body
and circular outer ring.
and circular outer ring.
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Té un cos central i un anell exterior.
02:05
We got very excited and thought
we discovered another Hoag's Object.
we discovered another Hoag's Object.
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Ens vam emocionar pensant
que havíem trobat un nou Objecte de Hoag.
que havíem trobat un nou Objecte de Hoag.
02:10
But my research showed
this is an entirely new galaxy type,
this is an entirely new galaxy type,
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Però la meva recerca ens va mostrar
que era un nou tipus de galàxia
que era un nou tipus de galàxia
02:17
now commonly referred to
as "Burçin's Galaxy."
as "Burçin's Galaxy."
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actualment coneguda
com a "Galàxia de Burçin".
com a "Galàxia de Burçin".
02:21
(Laughs)
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(Riure)
02:23
(Cheers) (Applause)
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(Ovació) (Aplaudiments)
02:27
We will not be visiting
this galaxy anytime soon.
this galaxy anytime soon.
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No la visitarem pas aviat,
aquesta galàxia.
aquesta galàxia.
02:31
It is approximately 359 million
light years away from Earth.
light years away from Earth.
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És a 359 milions d'anys llum de la Terra.
02:38
You may think this is far.
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Potser penseu que és lluny.
02:40
Well, actually, this is one
of the nearby galaxies.
of the nearby galaxies.
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Doncs és de les galàxies més properes.
02:45
I study this object in different light --
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Vaig estudiar-la
amb diferents tipus de llum:
amb diferents tipus de llum:
02:48
in ultraviolet, optical and near-infrared.
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ultraviolada, òptica i d'infraroig proper.
02:53
Small details on our body,
like a scar or wrinkles,
like a scar or wrinkles,
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Els petits detalls del nostre cos,
com les cicatrius o les arrugues,
com les cicatrius o les arrugues,
02:57
tell the story of our lives.
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expliquen històries de la vida.
02:59
Similarly, a galaxy's structure
in different light
in different light
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Igualment, en exposar l'estructura
d'una galàxia a diferents tipus de llum
d'una galàxia a diferents tipus de llum
03:03
can help us trace back
their origin and evolution.
their origin and evolution.
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podem reconstruir
el seu origen i evolució.
el seu origen i evolució.
03:07
How do I look for these details?
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Però com busco aquests detalls?
03:10
I model the bright central body
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Faig un model idèntic
del cos central lluminós
del cos central lluminós
03:13
and remove my model from the image
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i aïllo el model de la imatge
03:15
to check for any hidden features,
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per comprovar
si hi ha cap característica oculta,
si hi ha cap característica oculta,
03:18
because a bright structure in a galaxy
may blind our views of faint features,
may blind our views of faint features,
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una estructura lluminosa pot encobrir
característiques imperceptibles,
característiques imperceptibles,
03:24
just like using sunglasses
when you are blinded by the intense light.
when you are blinded by the intense light.
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com les ulleres de sol
quan la llum intensa ens encega.
quan la llum intensa ens encega.
03:30
The result was a big surprise.
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El resultat va ser sorprenent.
03:33
This galaxy doesn't just
have an outer ring,
have an outer ring,
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Aquesta galàxia
no només té un anell exterior,
no només té un anell exterior,
03:37
it has an additional, diffused inner ring.
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sinó que té un altre anell interior difús.
03:41
We were having a hard time
explaining the origin of the outer ring
explaining the origin of the outer ring
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Ja ens era difícil
explicar l'origen de l'anell exterior
explicar l'origen de l'anell exterior
03:46
in Hoag-type galaxies.
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de les galàxies de tipus Hoag.
03:48
Now we also need to explain
this mysterious second ring.
this mysterious second ring.
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Ara també hem d'explicar
aquest segon anell misteriós.
aquest segon anell misteriós.
03:53
There is currently no known mechanism
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Actualment, no podem explicar
per cap mecanisme conegut
per cap mecanisme conegut
03:56
that can explain the existence of an inner
ring in such a peculiar galaxy.
ring in such a peculiar galaxy.
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l'existència d'un anell interior
en una galàxia tan característica.
en una galàxia tan característica.
04:01
So the discovery of Burçin's Galaxy
clearly highlights the gap
clearly highlights the gap
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El descobriment de la Galàxia de Burçin
exposa que sabem ben poc
exposa que sabem ben poc
04:06
in our knowledge of galaxy evolution.
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sobre l'evolució de les galàxies.
04:09
Further research into how
this extremely rare galaxy was formed
this extremely rare galaxy was formed
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Més recerca sobre la formació
d'aquesta galàxia tan poc comuna
d'aquesta galàxia tan poc comuna
04:14
can provide us with new clues
on how the universe works.
on how the universe works.
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pot donar-nos noves pistes
sobre el funcionament de l'univers.
sobre el funcionament de l'univers.
04:21
This discovery tells us
that we still have a lot to learn,
that we still have a lot to learn,
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Aquest descobriment ens diu
que encara hi ha molt per aprendre,
que encara hi ha molt per aprendre,
04:25
and we should keep looking
deeper and deeper in space
deeper and deeper in space
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i que hem de seguir mirant
a les profunditats de l'espai
a les profunditats de l'espai
04:29
and keep searching for the unknown.
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i buscant el desconegut.
04:32
Thank you.
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Gràcies.
04:34
(Applause)
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(Aplaudiments)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil - AstrophysicistBurçin Mutlu-Pakdil studies the structure and dynamics of galaxies to help us understand how they form and evolve.
Why you should listen
Dr. Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil is searching for the most peculiar objects in the Universe. Her research has led to a discovery of an extremely rare galaxy with a unique circular structure, which is now commonly referred to as Burçin's Galaxy. Her work has provided the first description of a double-ringed elliptical galaxy, challenging current theories and assumptions about how the universe works and how galaxies start and evolve.
Mutlu-Pakdil earned her PhD at the University of Minnesota, and her undergraduate degree is from Bilkent University in Turkey. She is currently a postdoctoral research associate at University of Arizona and a 2018 TED Fellow. She spends most of her time searching for hierarchical structure at the scale of dwarf galaxies as a novel test of the Cold Dark Matter paradigm. She uses data gathered in a large range of wavelengths from premier telescopes worldwide and wants to learn more about how the Universe came to be the way it is today.
Mutlu-Pakdil's findings have been featured by CNN, Science Daily, Astronomy Magazine, Independent and MPR News, among many others. Damon Brown wrote in his regular Inc. Magazine online column: “Many organizations are dedicated to filling the STEM pipeline with more girls and women. Others are supporting the cause by being an example. TED Fellow Burçin is representing by being one of the most notable astrophysicists today.”
Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil | Speaker | TED.com