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General discussion (archive)Question About the Universe(21 posts)solved(21 posts)solved
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Posted December 12, 2011
How is it possible to observer light sources 46 billion light years away in a 14 billion year old universe?
This question / problem has been solved by JMichimage
Posted December 12, 2011
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Darling_Jimmy: How is it possible to observer light sources 46 billion light years away in a 14 billion year old universe?
42
Posted December 12, 2011
A lightyear is a measure of distance, time is only used as a means of working out the distance of a lightyear, therefor why wouldn't it be possible?
Posted December 12, 2011
42?

Seriously, tho: I think light years are a measure of distance rather than time. Might have something to do with that.

Edit: Damn Ninjas! On both things, too!
Post edited December 12, 2011 by ddmuse
Posted December 12, 2011
They used to be closer, so the light hasn't travelled the entire 46 billion light years.

Of course, this raises further questions.
Posted December 12, 2011
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Darling_Jimmy: How is it possible to observer light sources 46 billion light years away in a 14 billion year old universe?
If I understand this article correctly, we are not observing light sources, we are observing the effects of gravity on matter that was closer when the universe was young.
So, the 2 facts needed are these
1) The universe is expanding, so 2 points in space that used to be 1 parsec away from each other may now be 10 parsecs away.
2) The 1st point did interact with the 2nd, and the results of that interaction can still be measured, and we get proof of matter that exists beyond visual range.
Posted December 12, 2011
I don't know much about english writing.. people can vouch for that.. Question if it was..
Well, you can light sources to those galaxy things with a torrent which has been bathed in potion of +30 candlelight.

And who says that there is just one universe to lit.. Oh right, the poster. I would use the ring of minor purposes and steal a wallet.
Posted December 12, 2011
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MonstaMunch: A lightyear is a measure of distance, time is only used as a means of working out the distance of a lightyear, therefor why wouldn't it be possible?
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ddmuse: 42?

Seriously, tho: I think light years are a measure of distance rather than time. Might have something to do with that.

Edit: Damn Ninjas! On both things, too!
Yes, a light year is a unit of distance. It is the distance light travels in a year. It takes light 46 billion years to travel 46 billion light years. The universe is 14 billion years old. How can we see a light source 46 billion light years away?
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JMich: this
I read that (or tried to) already. I'm looking for a more "I'm drunk so make it easy" answer. :p
Post edited December 12, 2011 by Darling_Jimmy
Posted December 12, 2011
Idk. Suggested it bcuz it was the first thing coming to mind that might have something to do with the discrepancy. Ask a scientist? ;-)
Posted December 12, 2011
After these years I can't even count my fingers.

Edit: I use notepad and I use calculator to most simple things.

Infact if those hackers again strike at something.. Why not wikipedia? We all lose the talent to use fine words. Which are not Thu'um.
Post edited December 12, 2011 by Antimateria
Posted December 12, 2011
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Darling_Jimmy: Yes, a light year is a unit of distance. It is the distance light travels in a year. It takes light 46 billion years to travel 46 billion light years. The universe is 14 billion years old. How can we see a light source 46 billion light years away?
Right, and we cant.
Except if the light source that's now (estimated to be) 46billion light years away was actually no more than 14 billion light years away 14 billion years ago.

Funny thing space. Nothing we see there is *now".
Even the closest stars we see as they were many years ago.

42.
Posted December 12, 2011
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ddmuse: Ask a scientist? ;-)
I did. My husband is a physicist. He doesn't know or care. :(
Posted December 12, 2011
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Darling_Jimmy: I read that (or tried to) already. I'm looking for a more "I'm drunk so make it easy" answer. :p
Wait a really long time.
Posted December 12, 2011
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JMich: 1) The universe is expanding, so 2 points in space that used to be 1 parsec away from each other may now be 10 parsecs away.
Wouldn't that just mean that the object is actually further away than it "appears" to us now (because it has moved since the light was transmitted)? It would have still been 46 billion light years away when the light was transmitted... or am I missing something? Prob am... Me am not skilled in astrophysics. ;-)
Post edited December 12, 2011 by ddmuse
Posted December 12, 2011
Let's go for another try at explaining.

Assume the universe is a sheet, and we are at the center of it. No matter how big the sheet is, we can only see a total distance away from us which is calculated as "Age of Universe * Speed of Light". So if the Age of Universe is 13.7 Billion Years, we can see anything that exists in a distance of 13.7 Billion Light Years.

However, the universe isn't a sheet. It's a rubber sheet, that someone is pulling it. The further away the point is from us, the faster it moves away (Hubble's Law). If the distance is great enough, the point will be moving faster than light in relation to us, even though the point itself won't be moving in a faster than light speed (see here).

So, a point that was 6 billion light years away from us when the universe was 6 billion years old may now be at 20 billion light years away, which even though is outside our observable range, it was not outside it before.

The layman's term would be that we take a photo now, but by the time we develop it, the object has moved further away.
Post edited December 12, 2011 by JMich
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General discussion (archive)Question About the Universe(21 posts)solved(21 posts)solved
(21 posts)solved