The Secrets of the Universe: Measuring Age through Light Travel

  • Thread starter Thread starter wolram
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Age Light
AI Thread Summary
Astronomers measure the age of celestial objects by analyzing the light waves that reach Earth, which can take billions of years to travel through space. The light from distant galaxies can be over 12.7 billion years old, allowing scientists to observe the universe's past. Some confusion arises when comparing the age of light with the Earth's age, as they are independent measurements. The age of the light does not factor in the Earth's age; they represent different timelines. Understanding these concepts is crucial for grasping the vastness of the universe and the nature of light travel.
wolram
Gold Member
Dearly Missed
Messages
4,410
Reaction score
555
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/02/0217_050217_space.html

How can we measure the cluster's age? Because astronomers are able to analyze light waves and thereby tell how long it took for the light, and the images the light creates, to reach Earth. The light that created the images of the galaxies in the photo above is about 12.7 billion years old, so you're actually looking into the distant past as well as the distant limits of the universe

Am i missing some thing? if the Earth is say 4 billion yrs old and the light travel time is 12.7 billion yrs that makes 16.7 billion yrs.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Astronomy news on Phys.org
why are you adding two things that have nothing to do with each other
age of the light does NOT care how old the Earth is

example Hubble is about ten years old
what does that have to do with the age of the light recorded
by the ten year old scope
 
Publication: Redox-driven mineral and organic associations in Jezero Crater, Mars Article: NASA Says Mars Rover Discovered Potential Biosignature Last Year Press conference The ~100 authors don't find a good way this could have formed without life, but also can't rule it out. Now that they have shared their findings with the larger community someone else might find an explanation - or maybe it was actually made by life.
TL;DR Summary: In 3 years, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope (or rather, a system of telescopes) should be put into operation. In case of failure to detect alien signals, it will further expand the radius of the so-called silence (or rather, radio silence) of the Universe. Is there any sense in this or is blissful ignorance better? In 3 years, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope (or rather, a system of telescopes) should be put into operation. In case of failure to detect...
Thread 'Could gamma-ray bursts have an intragalactic origin?'
This is indirectly evidenced by a map of the distribution of gamma-ray bursts in the night sky, made in the form of an elongated globe. And also the weakening of gamma radiation by the disk and the center of the Milky Way, which leads to anisotropy in the possibilities of observing gamma-ray bursts. My line of reasoning is as follows: 1. Gamma radiation should be absorbed to some extent by dust and other components of the interstellar medium. As a result, with an extragalactic origin, fewer...
Back
Top