Scientists See Light that May Be from First Objects in Universe

NASA ^ | November 2, 2005

[Mike Fieschko]

ping

[R. Scott]

That’s just about as far back as it will be possible to go.

[Mike Fieschko]

Unless we hear from AC. (The Last Question, by Isaac Asimov.)

[Rebelbase]

[Tom Bombadil]

I am more concerned with whether I should eat Shredded Wheat this morning, or maybe oatmeal.

[nmh]

"3 billion years ago when ..."

LOL!!!

Professing to be wise they become fools.

[R. Scott]

Isaac Asimov has long been one of my favorite thinkers. It took all my limited will power not to jump to the last page. When I read it, just WOW! This was copyright 1956 – long before I was aware of the idea of a renewable universe. There are several theories that follow the basic premise – but Isaac’s is a great twist. A bit of an anthropomorphic Deity, but a great twist.

[ops33]

My favorite, Cheerios with raisens. The raisens work like prunes but taste a lot better!!

[SubMareener]

I may be wrong, but I think this article says: "We took a picture of the sky, and used PhotoShop to remove everything until we got to what we thought was what we wanted."

[Mike Fieschko]

The phrase 'there is insufficient data for a meaningful answer' had a new connotation for me since the first time I read the story, around 1972.

Had you read it before?

[Mike Fieschko]

I may be wrong, but I think this article says: "We took a picture of the sky, and used PhotoShop to remove everything until we got to what we thought was what we wanted."

Or, it may be 'Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains must be the truth.'

[txzman]

"We think we are seeing the collective light from millions of the first objects to form in the universe,"

I will bet $100 this is all a wild ass guess. A finding like this would cement a number of loose theories about the size, extent and expansion speed of the universe - something which has not been agreed upon as far as I know.

[SlowBoat407]

Another 200 million years would pass before the era of first starlight.

I wish I could've seen the first star ignite in the midst of the void. Imagine a vast nothing, and then a tiny spot of light appears, as if on command. "And the Lord said..."

[SubMareener]

Actually, I think they are back to the "and He divided the light from the darkness" part. ;-)

[SlowBoat407]

I will bet $100 this is all a wild ass guess.

Of course it's a WAG! Gather data, theorize, seek proof, analyze discrepancies, theorize again.

It's not about being right the first time out. It's about refining a set of theories until they match the known data, and then pushing it until it breaks so it can be refined again.

It's called Science.

[Robert A Cook PE]

13.7 billion?

Thought they were using 15 billion years as age of universe..

[SlowBoat407]

If you count the Big Bang as "Let there be light", I can see your point.

[R. Scott]

It did have a ring of familiarity to it, but not strong enough to say I had read it before. I may have read it 40 years or so ago.

[SlowBoat407]

13.7 billion? Thought they were using 15 billion years as age of universe..

That's just so it could drink.