What's the furthest object you've ever seen? How about 7.5 billion light years? - Page 2 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

icarus · 03-20-2008, 03:54 PM

This takes me back to a thread I posted a number of years ago: if these rays have been constantly diverging from each other for the past 7.5 billion years how can it be that there are enough of them fitting through my pupil at once in order for me to see it. Pretty amazing to think that a quantum of radiation released at least 7.5 billion years ago ended up landing in my eye (or I guess passing through my head).

Cube Inmate · 03-20-2008, 04:08 PM

To answer the question in the title, the most distant thing I've seen is about 24 million light years distant: the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51), seen with 8" of telescope. That's about 0.3% of the distance to this GRB, it consists of billions of stars, and it's barely a smudge in my scope.

The most distant thing typically visible with the naked eye is the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), which also consists of billions of stars and is only about 2.5 million light years away. It's still impossible to fathom the brightness of the GRB, but this provides a little perspective.

CaptainCrunch · 03-20-2008, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wookie

I've wondered that before.

If our sun went supernova - how long to we'd be dead?

Long enough to loot a major electronic store, poop on the sidewalk in front of the cops and make general mischief.

jammies · 03-20-2008, 04:23 PM

Don't look! First, the unearthly beam of gamma ray light is witnessed by billions, and then: the Triffids.

Hack&Lube · 03-20-2008, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJK

Isnt' the proof that it is expanding called "hubble's red shift"..the ability to measure how far stars are away from each other. Every single thing is moving away from each other...

It was explained to me like this:

The universe is like raisin bread expanding in the oven..each raisin is like a star and they are all moving away from each other.

???

The problem is that there's dark energy that is unaccounted for. Like some kind of magical yeast that is making the bread expand despite how much the raisins want to stick together.

MJK · 03-20-2008, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

The problem is that there's dark energy that is unaccounted for. Like some kind of magical yeast that is making the bread expand despite how much the raisins want to stick together.

But even so, the universe is expanding, correct? The science proves this does it not?

photon · 03-20-2008, 04:38 PM

Yes.

Hack&Lube · 03-20-2008, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJK

But even so, the universe is expanding, correct? The science proves this does it not?

Yes, but it's not the raisins moving at all since they can't move super-luminally but actually the space in between that is expanding. I guess that's all I'm trying to say.

photon · 03-20-2008, 04:40 PM

Space itself isn't expanding faster than the speed of light either.. Yet anyway, the rate of expansion is increasing though so eventually it will, meaning someday people will look up and see only our local group of galaxies; the Hubble Ultra Deep Field won't exist for them

MJK · 03-20-2008, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Yes, but it's not the raisins moving at all since they can't move super-luminally but actually the space in between that is expanding. I guess that's all I'm trying to say.

Yaw I know that...I was just trying to give decent example....the raisins don't move it is the space between them...the dough!

Hack&Lube · 03-20-2008, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by photon

Space itself isn't expanding faster than the speed of light either.. Yet anyway, the rate of expansion is increasing though so eventually it will, meaning someday people will look up and see only our local group of galaxies; the Hubble Ultra Deep Field won't exist for them

That's why expansion is so sad. It's so lonely. And then the universe dies heat death.

worth · 03-20-2008, 05:18 PM

But that's when you jump into the next membrane universe or tree branch universe.

Hack&Lube · 03-20-2008, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by worth

But that's when you jump into the next membrane universe or tree branch universe.

Assuming string theory is real and not that spirograph thing...how do I jump into the next membrane without turning into a puddle of neutrinos? If you're asking me, I'd rather go back in time to another quantum universe. Get that girl...

worth · 03-20-2008, 05:40 PM

by that time we probably wouldn't even be in a physical form. we'd probably be conscious thought that can live on forever in some form or another. that is if we make it that far.

I think we're at a crossroads. This is the most important time in our history. We have the capability to completely destroy ourselves pretty much instantly. If we can survive these next few hundred years, we will have by then expanded off the earth and into the solar system. Therefore it would be much harder to eliminate the human race. Maybe soon enough we'll be a type II civilization using all the resources of the solar system and graduate into type III where we control a galaxy.

But to ever get to that point, people need to chill out in the world.

I often wonder if this is something that every civilization goes through. A precarious time where you're not sure if you're going to make it or not as a race of intelligent beings.

We're so close in securing ourself a spot in the universe...but there are so many petty things that ripping us apart.

Hemi-Cuda · 03-21-2008, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by worth

by that time we probably wouldn't even be in a physical form. we'd probably be conscious thought that can live on forever in some form or another. that is if we make it that far.

I think we're at a crossroads. This is the most important time in our history. We have the capability to completely destroy ourselves pretty much instantly. If we can survive these next few hundred years, we will have by then expanded off the earth and into the solar system. Therefore it would be much harder to eliminate the human race. Maybe soon enough we'll be a type II civilization using all the resources of the solar system and graduate into type III where we control a galaxy.

But to ever get to that point, people need to chill out in the world.

I often wonder if this is something that every civilization goes through. A precarious time where you're not sure if you're going to make it or not as a race of intelligent beings.

We're so close in securing ourself a spot in the universe...but there are so many petty things that ripping us apart.

did you ever play a space action/sim game by the name of Freelancer? it has one of my most favorite gaming moments ever, where the final battle with a mysterious alien race ends up in their home system, and the aliens home is a dyson sphere harnessing the power of a star. at the time Freelancer's graphics were some of the best ever done for space sim games (it still looks quite good even today), and that end battle was epic

worth · 03-21-2008, 08:06 AM

No, i've never played that game. Learned about type I, II and III civilizations though reading. Sounds cool though.

Kidder · 03-21-2008, 10:42 AM

Incidently, my head burst from reading this thread, which could be seen for 7.5 blocks (actual distance impossible to discern due to headlessness).

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Burninator · 03-21-2008, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jammies

Don't look! First, the unearthly beam of gamma ray light is witnessed by billions, and then: the Triffids.

What book is that?

CaptainCrunch · 03-21-2008, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Burninator

What book is that?

Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham.

Great book, average movie.

Synopsis.

The Triffids were plants bio engineered by the Soviets, they fed on meat and could uproot themselves. They got accidentally set loose when a Soviet plane carrying their seeds crashed.

The story starts with a meteor shower that blinds everyone on earth. Then the Triffids basically come along and its like a buffet in Vegas for them.