Galaxy Formation
Galaxies are the building blocks of the Universe ... why? How do they form, and how do they evolve? Why are there fundamentally two different types of galaxy: elliptical "bulges" and spiral discs?
My primary interest is focussed on galaxy bulges, the dominant component of elliptical and lenticular galaxies, that contain half ofthe stars in the Universe. Our team's studies on spectra of these bulges has revealed that more massive bulges are older than less massive bulges.
Projects:
- NOAO Fundamental Plane Survey
- AAOmega Survey of the Shapley Supercluster
- Hubble Space Telescope Survey of Coma