Friday, July 13, 2007

Cluster's Last Stand

Astronomers See The Light (Of Oldest Galaxies)

Astronomers using a giant telescope say they have found glimpses of the most distant - and oldest - galaxies ever seen, a finding that will help provide clues to the origins of the universe. The light the researchers viewed originated when the universe was only 500 million years old and has been travelling through space for billions of years, said Richard Ellis, an astronomer at the California Institute of Technology. The team used the giant Keck telescope in Hawaii, pointing it through a natural magnifying glass in space made up of much closer clusters of galaxies which deflected light and made it easier to see more distant bodies.

FOOTNOTE: It's the milky whey.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I saw this one on TV last night. It's amazing what science research has come up within the past few decades. And they're asking for help from the public to identify more such clusters. So go for it David - if anyone can, you can :-)

Rene.

Anonymous said...

I saw this one on TV last night. It's amazing what scientific research has come up within the past few decades. And they're asking for help from the public to identify more such clusters. So go for it David - if anyone can, you can :-)

Rene.

Craver Vii said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Craver Vii said...

Old galaxies billions, even millions of years old? That's science fiction, you know.

Catmoves said...

Sometimes I feel like I might have come from that galaxy. But isn't it amazing, David? Every few years they can see further and further away from our dinky little planet. Is there such a thing as gigabytes of distance?

Anonymous said...

Sorry David, I edited my first comment which is why there are two of them one minute apart :-(

Rene.

david mcmahon said...

Hi Rene,

Okay-dokey. I'll get out my telescope and start work on the project. Will you be the project director?

Keep smiling

David

david mcmahon said...

Hi Craver,

Next you'll tell me that Santa and the Easter Bunny are fiction as well ....

Or are they? There goes the basis of my life's major beliefs!

Keep smiling

David

david mcmahon said...

Hi Catmoves,

You have said it exactly as I would have. You hav simply read my mind. I'm fascinated by technology and by the way we used it to discover the origin of the universe around us.

I'm with you on this one ....

Keep smiling

David

david mcmahon said...

Hi Rene,

No problem at all. I'd rather have two comments from you than none at all.

Keep smiling

David

Sam said...

Wow!! this would lead to a plethora of material of early days of teh universe.. i can see the science text books being rewritten again!!

david mcmahon said...

Hi Sam

I'm just fascinated that science expands out vision of the past so clearly.

Keep smiling

David