Posted on 04/25/2018 8:56:42 PM PDT by ameribbean expat
In effect, astronomers have been able to look back in time to when the universe was about a tenth its current age and have recorded the formation of a galactic protocluster, a precursor to the type of enormous galaxy clusters that are the largest-known objects in today's universe.
Designated as SPT2349-56, the protocluster has a mass about 10 trillion times greater than our sun and according to conventional wisdom should not have existed until much later in the universe's formation.
It was observed from the Atacama telescope array in Chile.
Astrophysicist Scott Chapman of Dalhousie University in Canada said: "We were staggered by the implications.
"Yes, conventional wisdom was that clusters take a lot longer to build up and assemble. SPT2349 shows us it happened much more rapidly and explosively than simulations or theory suggested."
Scientists believe that in the 12.4 billion years it has taken light from SPT2349 to reach earth, it will will have grown massively and could be one of the largest structures in the cosmos today.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.sky.com ...
The more they learn the more they find they don’t have any idea. Conventional Wisdom applies to politics not cosmology. Prevailing theory.
That brings a tangential question to mind: If warp drive someday becomes possible (or fictionally, in the world of Star Trek), how could ships using it navigate over extreme distances when the observed nature and location (or even the very existence) of various stars, planets, galaxies, etc. could be completely different than what was observed via light emanating from them that presented a picture that was millions or billions of years “out of date?” That planet that you’re heading for a million light years in the distance might not even exist anymore, or that star that it appears to be orbiting might actually now be a supernova, presenting a very nasty surprise upon arrival.
The diameter of the observable universe is around 93 billion light years. This invalidates the 14 billion year old theory of the big bang. At the distance we can see there are simply more and more galaxies. The only reason we can’t see further is not that the universe ends but that our instruments can see no further.
Claims that it is so big or so old are pure conjecture. It could be trillions of light years across. It could be quadrillions of years old. Who knows? Certainly not entropists.
I figure that paying for a round trip to any of that would be a waste of money. One way and nonstop is the only way to go. ;>)
This only emphasizes the fantastical nature of "warp drives". We cannot travel into the past, or "our past", as locally defined. Thank you Doctor Einstein.
In the middle of galaxies are black holes. If the mass of those black holes is greater than previously thought, then that would explain why these galaxies are assembling more quickly. It also may solve the problem of the missing mass needed for the universe to undergo the Big Bang. But this is just conjecture on my part.
P.S. I hate dark matter theory.
How old is the universe, per supposition, or best guess?
How long did the light take to get here from this cluster, which is 12 bil LY away?
Gee, such a simple concept, why hasn't any of these educated cosmologists thought of it?!
Probably because it's not true.
In other words their computer model was WRONG.
I wonder if their might be other scientific computer model that are wrong.
Maybe models that predict global catastrophe caused by emissions of carbon dioxide.
Like all things you start cautiously. Make a short trip. Make observations to confirm your assumptions and move on.
Much will depend on the amount energy required for the propulsion and its cost.
If it cost a great deal for the initial acceleration you would want to stay at cruising speed for the maximum distance. If the energy is cheap you would use the utmost caution and take shorter jumps.
Each time you slow or stop you make observations of your destination and make corrections to your model of the universe and how to approach your destination.
As more interstellar travel is accomplished the model of the universe will be refined and the movements and evolution of the galaxies will come more predictable.
Just the way I see it. Kind of following the evolution of world travel. You draw your map as you go.
The mind of God could not create a finite universe.
(Or, if you want, Einstein's lazy eight.)
Why is it when there’s an unexpected astronomical observation that every FReeper with crackpot beliefs about cosmology somehow think their beliefs are now the absolute truth?
1. your light pattern or signature is still traveling at the speed of light. This means that a hologram of your ship is still moving towards its destination long after you have arrived or left. Over many years there could be millions of these streaks in a solar system making navigation very difficult.
2. Inertia is a fundamental property of matter. Traveling at warp speed means your mass should be infinite. But lets assume Einstein is wrong and you only would have a couple million Gs of force if you came to a sudden stop. This means that you need to plan your deceleration long before you come to your destination. Even if you could slow down at 50MPH per second and feel no ill effects. At the speed of light it would take you 155 days to slow down to 0
They will claim to know precisely the age of the universe, galaxy, and anything you wish.. until they are proven wrong again. Too many people catastrophic events that blow the lid off their linear predictions.
The more I hear them talk, the more I know, they are still just guessing. Very. Expensive. Guessing.
The age of the universe has zero to do with day to day living. Can we use that money to build a wall??
That’s why you make little jumps and map warp routes of safe travel.
The ‘Falcon jumped into the remains of Alderaan in Star Wars. Probably should have been destroyed before/as it fell out of hyperspace. But...movie.
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