Dark Energy, Distance to Galaxies and Distance in time.

In summary, dark energy was proposed to explain the observation that galaxies farther away from us are moving away at a faster rate than those closer to us. However, some argue that this could also be explained by the age of the galaxies, as the universe was expanding faster 4.5 billion years ago than it was 500 million years ago. There are calculators available to determine the recession rate based on a galaxy's redshift, and a website (Morgan's calculator) is suggested for this purpose. The redshift of the microwave background is larger than that of any galaxy. While there is still uncertainty about the cause of the accelerated expansion, it is being actively researched and it is hoped that within a decade, more will be understood about
  • #1
discord73
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I've read that Dark Energy was invented to explain why galaxies really far away are moving away from us faster than ones closer to us. Now I'm sure they did this, but did they take into account that if they look at 2 galaxies A and B. Galaxy A is 500 million ly away and B is 5billion ly away, so, galaxy B would also be 4.5 billion ly older than galaxy A and therefore receding from us at a faster rate since according to bing bang the galaxy was expanding faster 4.5 billion years ago than it was 500 mililon years ago? or do they take this into account and still find that the universe is accelerating?

Also. is there a website I can go to to find the reletive speeds of galaxies that have been observed and measured and what not?
 
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  • #2
discord73 said:
Also. is there a website I can go to to find the reletive speeds of galaxies that have been observed and measured and what not?

What is ordinarily listed is a galaxy's redshift.

You should learn how to calculate the recession rate (the rate the distance is increasing) from the redshift. There is a calculator for that. the URL is in small print in my signature.
Or google "cosmos calculator". Morgan's calculator will be the first hit.

We observe galaxies with a big range of redshifts from low numbers like 0.5 to 1.0 to 1.5, to 2 to 3 up to 6.5 or 7.

The redshift of the microwave background is 1090, larger than that of any galaxy.

Why don't you try Morgan's calculator and see if you can get it to work.
If you have any questions, ask!

When you first open the calculator you need to type in three numbers, over on the left:
From the top down, the three numbers are .27, .73, and 71
These are the parameters of the standard model.
Then all you do is type in some redshift like, say, 5, or 6. and press calculate.

If it doesn't respond when you put in a new redshift and press calculate again, please let me know. I will back up your calculation and make sure it's giving the right answer.
http://www.uni.edu/morgans/ajjar/Cosmology/cosmos.html
 
  • #3
Dark energy was not 'invented', it was necessary to explain observational evidence. No scientist desired this solution, it was an evil they could not refute. The DE hypothesis is very fragile. Almost any stray observation could kick the stool out from under it, but, it still stands.
 
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  • #4
Chronos said:
Dark energy was not 'invented', it was necessary to explain observational evidence. No scientist desired this solution, it was an evil they could not refute. The DE hypothesis is very fragile. Almost any stray observation could kick the stool out from under it, but, it still stands.
Bear in mind that there still remains the possibility that it's explained by modified gravity, but for theoretical reasons this seems rather less likely. Investigations are underway...hopefully we'll understand something about the cause of the accelerated expansion within a decade or so.
 

1. What is dark energy?

Dark energy is a theoretical form of energy that is believed to make up the majority of the universe. It is thought to be responsible for the accelerating expansion of the universe and is still not fully understood by scientists.

2. How is the distance to galaxies measured?

The distance to galaxies is typically measured using a method called redshift. This involves measuring the change in wavelength of light from a galaxy due to the expansion of the universe. The further a galaxy is, the greater its redshift will be.

3. Can we measure the distance to galaxies in real-time?

No, the distance to galaxies cannot be measured in real-time. This is because light from distant galaxies takes millions or even billions of years to reach us, so we are essentially looking back in time when we observe them.

4. How is distance in time related to distance to galaxies?

The distance to galaxies is directly related to distance in time. As mentioned before, we are essentially looking back in time when we observe galaxies due to the time it takes for light to reach us. The further a galaxy is, the longer it takes for its light to reach us, so we are seeing it as it was in the past.

5. Why is understanding distance to galaxies important?

Understanding the distance to galaxies is important because it allows us to study the evolution of the universe and how it has changed over time. It also helps us to understand the distribution of matter and energy in the universe and the role of dark energy in the expansion of the universe.

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