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Telescope edges closer to the end of the Universe

Miramonti

Miramonti

Lifer
story

The record for the most distant object in the Universe has been broken again. Astronomers have spied a galaxy burning an astonishing 13.6 billion light years away.

Because its light has taken billions of years to travel to Earth, astronomers are seeing the galaxy as it looked when the Universe was only about 900 million years old.

"This galaxy is forming stars at a time speculated to be in the 'Dark Ages' of the Universe when galaxies began to turn on," says Esther Hu at the University of Hawaii, who led the team.

Astronomers think the Universe formed in a giant explosion approximately 14.5 billion years ago. About half a million years later, the expanding fireball left a sea of neutral gas - mostly hydrogen and some helium.
 
oh man, that whole seeing it as it was billions of years ago is pretty trippy. It is always wierd to try and think about the whole universe and everything out there... there is just too darn much space there. Ok, back to playing my computer games now 😛
 


<<

<< Anyone care to guess what's on the other side? >>

Taco Bell. >>



No, I vote for Starbucks

EDIT: Damn you! Damn you to hell! Too slow....
 
How can they tell it's 13.6 billion light years away? There's no way of measuring that.
Maybe it's 1.2 billion light years away.
 
Exactly. Who really cares about this worthless, not-affecting-my-life crap?

That's great. And the universe doesn't care about you either. 😀

Cheers ! 🙂
 


<< How can they tell it's 13.6 billion light years away? There's no way of measuring that.
Maybe it's 1.2 billion light years away. >>



there is a way of measuring that, I don't remember exactly but I used to know. there are very accurate methods of measuring distances to heavenly bodies
 


<< Exactly. Who really cares about this worthless, not-affecting-my-life crap? >>


So you only care about things that pertain directly to your life? That seems a bit self-centered.
 
i love stuff like this....it is amazing and mind boggling. makes me as one person that lives only 50-80 years seem so meaningless and insignificant. 😕
 


<< How can they tell it's 13.6 billion light years away? There's no way of measuring that. Maybe it's 1.2 billion light years away. >>



Probably is redshifted all to hell. That gives you its recessional velocity, and from that you can determine distance. This image is gravity lensed by a massive cluster, and that may also be helpful, although it's been many a year since I read the article I am thinking of.
 
That's why you don't see UFO's coming, they are travelling faster than their image is :Q

(but can they see their own headlights??)
 


<< That's why you don't see UFO's coming, they are travelling faster than their image is :Q (but can they see their own headlights??) >>




No, but they can read their own liscense plate 🙂
 


<<

<< Ok, back to playing my computer games now >>

Exactly. Who really cares about this worthless, not-affecting-my-life crap?

nik >>


that has to be the most small minded thing i've heard today.
 
For anyone who has read "The Discovery of Heaven", by Harry Mulisch...

the astronomers looking through that telescope had better be REALLY careful... because we really know what's at the end of the universe! 🙂
 


<< Anyone care to guess what's on the other side? >>



Thinking about the vast size of the universe dosen't bother me...but this does. I find it hard to imagine what was here before the universe was here, why the universe is actualy here...things like that. It makes my head spin 🙂
 
Yeah, the concept is very cool... if you were on the moon, then travelled back to Earth faster than the speed of light, you would be able to see yourself on the moon from Earth. Sweet trick. Not to be accomplished in our lifetime.
 
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