This is a deep space view from the Webb telescope. Each of the lights is a GALAXY, like our own Milky Way, not a solar system. There are untold thousands of them just in the one view.
Want to feel insignificant
- Thread starter Fox Mike
- Start date
Acorn
Hunter
Yep, and that image, I believe was from a relatively "dark" section of the "sky".
Multiply that small portion of the sky by 24 million times (give or take;)). Millions of galaxies containing trillions of stars. It boggles the mind.
Multiply that small portion of the sky by 24 million times (give or take;)). Millions of galaxies containing trillions of stars. It boggles the mind.
Beautiful........
Pretty amazing. I find it sad that I can rarely see more than a few stars because of urban light pollution. I think it makes us think that we are the only thing in the universe, perhaps too self centered and kind of know it alls. We can’t see anything but what is right in front of us.
And some folks believe it all happened by accident. Don't think so!
Makes me want to watch the Guardians of The Galaxy movies.........
OP
I just can't believe we are the only living creatures anywhere and are 'so' advanced. For me, one look at that photo tells me that can't be so.
I worked at the facility that produced the raw beryllium blanks for the mirrors on the JWST. My groups responsibility was the physical testing (tensile testing, precision elastic limit and coefficient of thermal expansion) and micro-structural evaluation (grain size measurement and inclusion detection). My personal involvement was with the grain size measurement evaluation. I'm proud to say my hands have held the samples from the original mirror blanks which are now on the Webb.
Agreed. There just has to be other life out there.
All summer my daughter and I have watched Doctor Who. It's on HBO MAX. The "new" seasons, not the older ones. Other life in the universe is one underlying theme.
I don't rule it out. I do believe that if life does exist elsewhere the odds of it looking like us are pretty dismal. ;)
GunnyGene
Hawkeye
While y'all are Ooohing and Aaahing over this image, just remember that the Universe is not a friendly place.
Sorry for the buzz kill. So long and thanks for all the fish. :alien:
Sorry for the buzz kill. So long and thanks for all the fish. :alien:
Acorn
Hunter
I’ve always been fascinated with astronomy.
I just bought my first “real” telescope this past weekend for my 69th birthday gift to me.
I just bought my first “real” telescope this past weekend for my 69th birthday gift to me.
OP
I understand what you are saying. Mistakes out there can easily become terminal. Still, proper preparation eliminates some of the danger. Not, like walking through the Cherry Hill neighborhood of Baltimore at night. Heavily armed my not even get you out of there.
Saw another image that showed a galaxy that was a billion light years from Earth. Light travels at 670,616,629.3844 mph. If anyone wants to do the math it is that number x 24 x 365 for ONE light year. Multiply by 1 billion and it will tell you how far away that one galaxy is located.
Last edited:
That’s awesome! I hope you start another thread with some pictures and a review of the telescope. That’s something I’ve thought about from time to time.
And belated happy birthday!
A metro jungle of chaos....I've done a few Security gigs down there in the past, and have had to recover stolen property there many times.
The Frito-Lay compound is a war zone at night.
I wonder what the bright spot is in the middle
I wonder what the bright spot is in the middle
Last edited:
Amazing! We are being looked at from out there just like we are looking at them.
Rod Serling had a good take on it with "To Serve Man"...
It's a COOKBOOK!!!
Rod Serling had a good take on it with "To Serve Man"...
It's a COOKBOOK!!!
GunnyGene
Hawkeye
Hmmm. We are already "out there". Or should I say "In there". It's not like Planet Earth is separate from the rest of the universe and we're just passing by. We get large and small rocks dropped on us regularly, and our star bathes us in nuclear radiation 24/7 among other things, not to mention the potential for a near by Gamma ray burst. This planet has a history of periodic nearly total elimination of all life here. And of course the local stuff like volcanos, earthquakes, tidal waves, and the ever present threat of nuclear extinction by our own hand.
Acorn
Hunter
Thanks.
I bought a Skywatcher Virtuoso GTi150p 150mm Newtonian reflector on a go-to mount. One aligned you can punch in the desired object you want to view and the on board computer will point the scope at it. Plus it will track the object, making it somewhat capable of some astrophotography.
Pretty nice little scope for under $400.
Looks wonderful to me. My husband is a long time amateur astronomer and stargazer and got me into just the fun of it. It is amazing what you can see and photograph with just simple binoculars and then to move up to nice telescopes. We have and still do make some of the star parties that the Central Texas Astronomical Society hosts at various parts locally! :)
Larryburford
Blackhawk
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2024
- Messages
- 512
- City & State/Province
- LA - Lower Arkansas, USA I use to be Crazy Horse
Cool picture.
Te light from that galaxy left there a billion years ago. It may not even exist anymore.
Last edited:
OP
Light years are not time but rather distance. A billion light years means what ever it was, was a very, very, very,. long way out there. True, it may not even be there now. The light we see left there a billion LIGHT YEARS ago.
GunnyGene
Hawkeye
It also makes navigating your starship somewhat complicated. Especially when you figure in things like gravity wells between here and there, and assorted other stuff that you have to dodge at warp speed. :LOL:
freakindawgen
Blackhawk
I've never was over amazed at the size and content of space. The more I read about it, the more interesting it got. This is supposed to be how we travel thru space. Space, the mindset I got that it's infinite. No! It's still expanding! This blows me away. Ok space what everything is in. What is it expanding into??? I can't make sense of it! Hypothetically, say the Star Trek Enterprise is zipping along at Warp.9 and suddenly >BONK< oops! Turn around that's the end of space!
OP
The Milky Way galaxy is 100,000 light years across so, even at Warp 9, it would take the Star Trek crew 11111.11 years to travel the galaxy.
GunnyGene
Hawkeye
Try to wrap your head around this:
The Universe we perceive ( SpaceTime) is what we call Reality. That meaning we can measure it, smell it, see it, feel it, etc. with our senses, and our technology.
Here's the kicker: "In the absence of Reality, Probability rules." Probabilities do not exist. They say more about the state of our knowledge than the state of nature, on a infinite scale of 0 to 1. A Probability = 0 signifies an impossibility. When a Probability = 1, it is no longer a Probability but is a Reality.
When we flip a coin, we say that there is a 50/50 chance of it coming up heads or tails ( actually slightly less than that since it is possible to land on edge). So which ever side comes up is instantly Reality, and all other Probabilities associated with that flip instantly become zero. We can make many iterations of that coin flip, but each flip is unique in terms of probability.
So in your example space/time is not expanding into anything. It is merely transitioning from a Probability to a Reality that we are able to perceive.
GunnyGene
Hawkeye
Ship years or Earth years? There is a difference. :)
freakindawgen
Blackhawk
How fast is Warp 9?
