I am really fascinated with astronomy and this is the latest discovery to come from the Hubble Space Telescope. This galaxy is estimated to be 13.2 BILLION light years away. In other words the light that is in this picture originated approximately 13.2 billion years ago.
Well then how far away is that you ask?
The speed of light is 186,282 miles per second (or faster than my school bus will do in the quarter mile). It's a complicated calculation based on the distance light will travel in one metre (or meter if you're 'merican).
So here is the calculation:
The speed of light, usually denoted by c, is a physical constant important in many areas of physics. Light and all other forms of electromagnetic radiation always travel at this speed in empty space (vacuum), regardless of the motion of the source or the inertial frame of reference of the observer. Its value is exactly 299,792,458 metres per second." And how, you may ask, was the value discovered?
Well it seems that our old friend Albert Einstein was partly responsible for this:
"Ole Rømer first demonstrated in 1676 that light travelled at a finite speed (as opposed to instantaneously) by studying the apparent motion of Jupiter's moon Io. In 1905, Albert Einstein postulated that the speed of light in vacuum was independent of the source or inertial frame of reference, and explored the consequences of that postulate by deriving the theory of special relativity and showing that the parameter c had relevance outside of the context of light and electromagnetism. After centuries of increasingly precise measurements, in 1975 the speed of light was known to be 299,792,458 m/s with a relative measurement uncertainty of 4 parts per billion. In 1983, the metre was redefined in the International System of Units (SI) as the distance travelled by light in vacuum in 1⁄299,792,458 of a second. As a result, the numerical value of c in metres per second is now fixed exactly by the definition of the metre."
This information was from Wikipedia.
This information was from Wikipedia.
So in order to measure the speed of light you need a vacuum (not a Kirby or Dyson) but a space vacuum then get some flashlights....
I know this is very boring stuff but I find it very interesting. By the way, now that you know what the speed of light is, how far away is this new galaxy? Furthermore scintists believe that the galaxy no longer exists.
Answer: It is 80 sextillion miles. That's 80 followed by 21 zeros.
80,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
Answer: It is 80 sextillion miles. That's 80 followed by 21 zeros.
80,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
1 comments:
Dad,
That figure assumes that the light or electromagnetic energy has not been affected by the gravity of any supermassive objects that are either near the point of origination or has passed nearby at any time through its travel. Also, that distance assumes a static relativity with regard to the position of both objects, which they are not. Light does travel at a constant speed (unless otherwise affected) but the two objects are and have been in motion. Recent data indicates that the periphery of the galaxy is actually expanding faster than the speed of light. Which makes sense as we need a space-time medium for light to travel in. So, depending on where this source is relative to the expansion front it could actually be younger than its light year distance would indicate. I like this stuff too...
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