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[patrickm]

Hubble finds a new contender for galaxy distance record

From spacetelescope.org
"Pushing the Hubble Space Telescope to the limit of its technical ability, an international collaboration of astronomers have found what is likely to be the most distant and ancient galaxy ever seen, whose light has taken 13.2 billion years to reach us (a redshift of around 10).

Image credit: NASA, ESA, G. Illingworth (University of California, Santa Cruz), R. Bouwens (University of California, Santa Cruz, and Leiden University) and the HUDF09 Team

Attachments:

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

This is quite cool.

It was once thought that Quasars were the farthest objects in the known Universe - some hot remnants of the bang bang, formed soon after the event.

But astronomy evolves and adjusts nicely, (for some...I remember old school coots who argued with me on a Dead Mars vs a wet warm one - of whom are strangely quiet now.)

All indications say it's a galaxy and cool that it could be. If so, the lifeforms that evolved so long ago there could be god-like. Asgard..?

And as we continue to develop imaging techniques, we will crash the 14 billion Light Year barrier of the edge of our Universe. As nice as the Webb scope will be, the Hubble is the only scope that takes full spectrum light images.

We will miss it when it goes...

[Paulie pchris00]

Joe, Hubble ain't dead yet man. And I know you heard Grunsfeld say that they installed a new grapple device last time up, so although it's doubtful, there is at least the possibility that it could be rescued again.

It's interesting to see the background of the blown up image showing filaments all around the galaxy. At that distance, it was thought that in the early universe matter was clumped together in certain dense spots, with filaments possibly spreading between these clusters. We still see sort of the same thing when looking at galaxy clusters today, and I wonder if this image is showing evidence of of interconnected clusters, or if it is background noise? Interesting, nonetheless.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

The Hubble is going strong for now, but with the Shuttle program winding down...I don't see what vehicle can maintain the Hubble.

It's destined to burn up in the atmosphere.

[RobbW]

I find it interesting how the age of our universe is only limited by our current technology and its ability to see fainter objects. I'm sure that as our astronomical technology advances, so, too, will the age of our universe. I know I've brought this up in another thread, but I'm still confused as to why astronomers insist that our universe is around +/- 14 billion years old just because of a faint galaxy appearing in a photograph taken in one direction. I still contend that if you turned the camera 180 degrees the opposite direction and photographed another galaxy maybe only 7 billion light years away, wouldn't that make our universe at least 14 + 7 = 21 billion years old?

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Robb poses a very interesting question that I have not heard before.

It is said that the Universe is expanding ,objects retreating from each other - as if on the surface of an expanding balloon.

But, the Andromeda galaxy is barreling toward us, not away...and we have evidence of other galaxies who are sharing the same fate.

Hmmm...

And if you go into inner space, the emptiness is vast as well. Suppose we human entities were the size of a proton....the scales of distance would be altered.....

...making the size of the Universe even larger?

Hell, for all we know, we could be part of some sub-atomic-like particle of a larger whole.

This updated "Power of 10" brings us down from to edge of the Universe to the fabric of existence...as we know it:

tinyurl.com/4dxpjmt

My brain hurts and I need to rest now...

[-=CROMAN=-]

Jan 29, 2011 1:25:25 GMT -6 Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe said:

Robb poses a very interesting question that I have not heard before.

It is said that the Universe is expanding ,objects retreating from each other - as if on the surface of an expanding balloon.

But, the Andromeda galaxy is barreling toward us, not away...and we have evidence of other galaxies who are sharing the same fate.

P

Perhaps our local groups orbit to each other makes it appear as though we are on a collision course? Could the great attractor be responsible for this?

[patrickm]

Particles in an expanding balloon can still run into each other. Things are still gravitationally bound. Universe expands but solar system stays intact. Andromeda can certainly be on a long crash course with us even as our local group moves away from other local groups, and even as other galaxies in our group spread out from each other. Thankfully, I won't be here to see it.