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Hubble spots spiral galaxy that shouldn't exist
Los Angeles Times ^ | July 18, 2012, 1:05 p.m. | Thomas H. Maugh II

Posted on 07/18/2012 5:08:07 PM PDT by Olog-hai

Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have discovered the oldest known spiral galaxy, a 10.7-billion-year-old anomaly that by all rights shouldn't exist. The galaxy was present in the early universe, about 3 billion years after the Big Bang, at a time when galaxies were still forming and normally looked clumpy and irregular. …

In fact, it is a so-called grand design spiral galaxy, which has prominent, well-formed spiral arms. "The fact that this galaxy exists is astounding," Law said. "Current wisdom holds that such grand design spiral galaxies didn't exist at such an early time in the history of the universe." …

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; History; Miscellaneous; Science
KEYWORDS: haltonarp; hst; hubble; scientism; stringtheory
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To: GraceG

Well, since the word universe means everything that is known to exist, I’d say no.


21 posted on 07/18/2012 5:32:57 PM PDT by 1raider1
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To: Olog-hai

The night sky is a time machine. Some of what we see ceased to exist millions of years ago, and there are things that currently exist that we won’t see for millions of more years. It’s mind boggling really.


22 posted on 07/18/2012 5:36:50 PM PDT by 762X51
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To: montanajoe

Maybe that galaxy is the Milky Way where it was 10.7 billion years ago.
Maybe we are looking at ourselves.


23 posted on 07/18/2012 5:37:32 PM PDT by Lancey Howard
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To: 762X51

http://www.e-reading.org.ua/chapter.php/82002/30/Azimov_-_Asimovs_Mysteries.html


24 posted on 07/18/2012 5:45:23 PM PDT by Lancey Howard
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To: Olog-hai

Love how they claim the big bang as fact, then say that this galaxy shouldn’t exist because of it. In other words, humans who despise God, still haven’t a clue. How great is our God!


25 posted on 07/18/2012 5:47:43 PM PDT by vpintheak (Occupy your Brain!)
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To: vpintheak

exactly.


26 posted on 07/18/2012 5:53:46 PM PDT by raygunfan
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To: Lancey Howard
Maybe that galaxy is the Milky Way where it was 10.7 billion years ago. Maybe we are looking at ourselves.

Wouldn't that mean that our galaxy would have to be traveling through space at greater than light speed? Much greater, to outrun our own light by 10.7 billions years. Reminds me of those word problems in middle school..."A galaxy leaves the station traveling at 1,000,000 times the speed of light. How many years would it have to travel to exceed it's original visible location by 10.7 billion light years? Please show your work."
27 posted on 07/18/2012 5:59:19 PM PDT by 762X51
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To: 762X51

A worm hole might do it..


28 posted on 07/18/2012 6:07:09 PM PDT by montanajoe
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To: Olog-hai

Atheists mock people that believe in a God that can’t be readily seen or explained....but firmly believe in other peoples ideas that can’t be seen or readily explained.


29 posted on 07/18/2012 6:08:48 PM PDT by Dallas59 (President Robert Gibbs 2009-2011)
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To: vpintheak
A while ago some astronomers located some galaxies that appeared to have been created BEFORE the theorized Big Bang.

Later measurements corrected the original estimate so that the estimated creation dates happened after. The same thing might happen here.

What we now seem to know is that we know very little. Normal matter and energy only make up about 5% of what appears to be out there. Dark Energy and Dark Matter make up the rest.

If/when we learn more about Dark Energy and Dark Matter this galaxy may no longer be such an enigma.

30 posted on 07/18/2012 6:19:40 PM PDT by who_would_fardels_bear
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To: prisoner6

Exactly. Calling it “wisdom” is an undue display of arrogance and an admission of not being scientists.


31 posted on 07/18/2012 6:20:29 PM PDT by Olog-hai
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To: Magic Fingers
“That is, assuming that the standard model is correct.”

‘Zackly! Even their basic premise that the universe is 14B years old could be off by a factor of 10...or 1000.

Or maybe the Universe had no beginning. Maybe it's eternal.

32 posted on 07/18/2012 6:23:04 PM PDT by conservative sympathizer
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To: Olog-hai

“spiral galaxy, a 10.7-billion-year-old anomaly “

George Lucas wasn’t making up a story...


33 posted on 07/18/2012 6:23:12 PM PDT by Rebelbase (The most transparent administration ever is clear as mud.)
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To: Dallas59

Yep. Atheism is a religion. I love Ravi Zacharias’ explanation of atheism:

“How can you affirm a negative in the absolute?”

It would be like me saying to you, “there is no such thing as a white stone with black dots anywhere in all of the galaxies of this universe.” The only way I can affirm that is if I had unlimited knowledge of this universe!

So to affirm an absolute negative is self-defeating because what you are saying is, “I have infinite knowledge in order to say to you there is nobody with infinite knowledge.” Atheism as a system is self-defeating.


34 posted on 07/18/2012 6:33:24 PM PDT by BlessedMom92
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To: Olog-hai
Current wisdom holds that such grand design spiral galaxies didn't exist at such an early time in the history of the universe."

Global warming.

35 posted on 07/18/2012 6:50:21 PM PDT by VeniVidiVici (Congrats to Ted Kennedy! He's been sober for two years now!!)
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To: Olog-hai

Undetectable dark matter must be responsible for this! Somehow or other.


36 posted on 07/18/2012 7:19:07 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
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To: 762X51
Wouldn't that mean that our galaxy would have to be traveling through space at greater than light speed?

That would depend on whether light bends, how fast the "universe is expanding" and whether that expansion alters the speed of light, and whether the Milky Way entered a "worm hole" somewhere along the way.

Anyway, I've also wondered if there was a reflective surface - a mirror - on a distant (say 1,000 light years away) planet that was perfectly angled to reflect the earth and we could focus on the reflections from that mirror, could we "see" the earth as it was 2,000 years ago?

I wonder about a lot of wacky stuff.

Anyway, we really have no idea how fast we are moving when you factor in the rotation of the earth, the orbit of earth around the sun, the movement of the sun within the Milky Way, and the movement of the Milky Way within the (known) universe. Heck, maybe the universe is moving, too. When you have 15 minutes to kill, check out that Asimov short story I linked in my previous post to you.

FRegards,
LH

37 posted on 07/18/2012 7:39:57 PM PDT by Lancey Howard
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To: who_would_fardels_bear
If/when we learn more about Dark Energy and Dark Matter this galaxy may no longer be such an enigma.

It will take a lot of gray matter to figure it all out.

38 posted on 07/18/2012 7:42:38 PM PDT by Lancey Howard
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To: Olog-hai

Unexpected!


39 posted on 07/19/2012 1:16:57 PM PDT by freedomlover
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To: VeniVidiVici
Bush's Fault...

But at least we didn't build it...

40 posted on 07/19/2012 1:16:57 PM PDT by Dead Corpse (I will not comply.)
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