Event Details

Distances and luminosities are crucial for understanding celestial objects. For galaxies beyond the local Universe, the observed wavelengths and desired rest-frame wavelengths may differ significantly, so models are needed to determine rest-frame galaxy properties from observed galaxy properties. Unfortunately, many models of galaxy spectra have significant systematic errors, and these cause large errors in measurements of galaxy luminosities, colours and distances. We have produced a new atlas of 129 galaxy spectra spanning from ultra-violet through to infrared wavelengths, combining imaging and spectroscopy from satellites and ground-based telescopes. Our atlas has a far larger sample size, broader wavelength coverage and smaller systematic errors than similar works in the prior literature. Dr. Brown will provide illustrations of how the atlas has been utilized by Monash Ph.D. students and postdocs, significantly changing the measured colours of low redshift galaxies and identifying hidden star formation in red galaxies.