ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil - Astrophysicist
Burçin 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.”

More profile about the speaker
Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil | Speaker | TED.com
TED2018

Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil: A rare galaxy that's challenging our understanding of the universe

Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil: Uma galáxia rara que está desafiando nosso entendimento do universo

Filmed:
2,459,767 views

O que é descobrir uma galáxia e tê-la nomeada com seu nome? A astrofísica e bolsista TED, Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil, fala nessa curta palestra sobre a descoberta surpreendente de sua equipe sobre um novo tipo misterioso de galáxia.
- Astrophysicist
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.
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Existem mais de um trilhão
de galáxias no universo
00:17
And my team discovered
an extremely rare one,
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e meu time descobriu
uma extremamente rara,
00:21
a galaxy that doesn't look
quite like anything observed before.
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uma galáxia que não se parece nem um pouco
com nada observado até agora.
00:27
This galaxy is so peculiar,
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Essa galáxia é tão peculiar,
00:29
that it challenges our theories
and our assumptions
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que desafia nossas teorias e suposições
00:33
about how the universe works.
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sobre como o universo funciona.
00:37
The majority of the galaxies are spiral,
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A maioria das galáxias são espirais,
00:40
similar to our own Milky Way.
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semelhantes a nossa própria Via Láctea.
00:42
We have strong theories about how
these common galaxies form and evolve.
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Temos sólidas teorias que explicam como
as galáxias comuns se formam e evoluem.
00:48
But we don't understand
how rare galaxies form and evolve.
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Porém, não temos boas teorias
para as galáxias raras.
00:55
An especially puzzling rare case
is Hoag's Object.
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Um caso raro e especialmente intrigante
é o Objeto de Hoag.
01:00
It has a very symmetric central body
surrounded by a circular outer ring,
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Ele apresenta um corpo central simétrico,
cercado por um anel circular externo,
01:07
with nothing visible connecting them.
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com nada visível conectando-os.
01:10
Hoag-type galaxies are among the rarest
types of galaxies currently known.
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Galáxias do tipo Hoag estão entre os tipos
mais raros atualmente conhecidos.
01:16
There are fewer than one
in 1,000 galaxies.
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Existem em menos de uma em mil galáxias.
01:22
It's a mystery how the stars
in the outer ring are just floating there
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É um mistério como as estrelas
estão flutuando no anel externo
01:28
in such an orderly manner.
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de uma maneira tão ordenada.
01:30
That's interesting, right?
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É interessante, certo?
01:33
Hold on.
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Vejam só.
01:34
Things are about to get more mysterious.
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As coisas estão prestes
a se tornarem mais intrigantes.
01:37
The galaxy that my team
discovered is even rarer
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A galáxia que meu time
descobriu é ainda mais rara
01:41
and much more complex than that.
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e muito mais complexa
que o Objeto de Hoag.
01:44
You know, sometimes, you search
and search for these objects,
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Às vezes você procura por esses objetos,
01:48
and you find nothing.
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e não encontra nada.
01:50
But sometimes, it just appears
in the background,
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Porém, algumas vezes, eles só
aparecem no plano de fundo,
01:55
when you are not even looking for it.
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quando você nem está procurando por eles.
01:58
This system looks very similar
to Hoag's Object,
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Esse sistema é muito similar
ao Objeto de Hoag,
02:01
with its central body
and circular outer ring.
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com seu corpo central
e anel circular externo.
02:05
We got very excited and thought
we discovered another Hoag's Object.
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Ficamos muito entusiasmados e pensamos
ter descoberto um outro Objeto de Hoag.
02:10
But my research showed
this is an entirely new galaxy type,
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Porém, minha pesquisa mostrou que esse
é um tipo de galáxia completamente novo,
02:17
now commonly referred to
as "Burçin's Galaxy."
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agora conhecido como "Galáxia de Burcin".
02:21
(Laughs)
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(Risos) (Vivas)
02:23
(Cheers) (Applause)
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(Aplausos)
02:27
We will not be visiting
this galaxy anytime soon.
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Não visitaremos essa galáxia tão cedo.
02:31
It is approximately 359 million
light years away from Earth.
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Ela está a, aproximadamente,
359 milhões de anos luz distante da Terra.
02:38
You may think this is far.
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Vocês podem achar isso longe,
02:40
Well, actually, this is one
of the nearby galaxies.
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mas ela é uma das galáxias próximas.
02:45
I study this object in different light --
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Eu estudo esse objeto em diferentes luzes:
02:48
in ultraviolet, optical and near-infrared.
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em ultravioleta, visível
e próxima ao infravermelho.
02:53
Small details on our body,
like a scar or wrinkles,
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Pequenos detalhes em nosso corpo,
como cicatrizes e rugas,
02:57
tell the story of our lives.
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contam a história de nossa vida.
02:59
Similarly, a galaxy's structure
in different light
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De forma similar,
a estrutura da galáxia em luzes diferentes
03:03
can help us trace back
their origin and evolution.
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pode nos ajudar a rastrear
sua origem e evolução.
03:07
How do I look for these details?
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Como eu procuro por tais detalhes?
03:10
I model the bright central body
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Eu modelo o corpo central brilhante
03:13
and remove my model from the image
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e retiro meu modelo da imagem
03:15
to check for any hidden features,
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pra examinar qualquer detalhe escondido,
03:18
because a bright structure in a galaxy
may blind our views of faint features,
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porque um corpo brilhante na galáxia
pode ofuscar luzes mais fracas,
03:24
just like using sunglasses
when you are blinded by the intense light.
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da mesma forma quando usamos óculos de sol
para nos proteger de uma luz intensa.
03:30
The result was a big surprise.
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O resultado é uma grande surpresa.
03:33
This galaxy doesn't just
have an outer ring,
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Essa galáxia não apenas possui
um anel externo,
03:37
it has an additional, diffused inner ring.
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como também apresenta
um anel interno difuso.
03:41
We were having a hard time
explaining the origin of the outer ring
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Já estamos tendo dificuldades
para explicar a origem do anel externo
03:46
in Hoag-type galaxies.
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nas galáxias tipo Hoag.
03:48
Now we also need to explain
this mysterious second ring.
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Agora, precisamos explicar
esse segundo anel misterioso.
03:53
There is currently no known mechanism
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Atualmente, não há nenhum
mecanismo conhecido
03:56
that can explain the existence of an inner
ring in such a peculiar galaxy.
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que explique a existência de um anel
interno nessa galáxia tão peculiar.
04:01
So the discovery of Burçin's Galaxy
clearly highlights the gap
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Então, a descoberta da Galáxia de Burcin
claramente destaca as lacunas
04:06
in our knowledge of galaxy evolution.
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em nosso conhecimento
sobre a evolução das galáxias.
04:09
Further research into how
this extremely rare galaxy was formed
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Futuras investigações sobre como essa
galáxia extremamente rara se formou
04:14
can provide us with new clues
on how the universe works.
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poderá nos fornecer novas pistas
de como o universo funciona.
04:21
This discovery tells us
that we still have a lot to learn,
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Essa descoberta nos mostra
que ainda temos muito a aprender,
04:25
and we should keep looking
deeper and deeper in space
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e que devemos continuar observando
cada vez mais a fundo no espaço
04:29
and keep searching for the unknown.
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e continuar procurando pelo desconhecido.
04:32
Thank you.
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Obrigada.
04:34
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
Translated by Ana Paula Dias
Reviewed by Maricene Crus

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil - Astrophysicist
Burçin 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.”

More profile about the speaker
Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil | Speaker | TED.com