Live data from Hacker News

The Oldest Galaxies in the Universe

theatlantic.com

11–20 of 22 posts

Re: The Oldest Galaxies in the Universe

#11

Every atom in your body was forged in a star. The iron in your blood, the oxygen and carbon that make up the proteins and fats that allow complex organisms to exist, the copper and gold we use for wiring, the uranium we're splitting for energy; all of it was made by a star that had used up all its hydrogen and started fusing heavier elements. Nearly all of the energy we use on earth (a small fraction is from nuclear…

Used very little, but there's also tidal and geothernal power.

Re: The Oldest Galaxies in the Universe

#12

Every atom in your body was forged in a star. The iron in your blood, the oxygen and carbon that make up the proteins and fats that allow complex organisms to exist, the copper and gold we use for wiring, the uranium we're splitting for energy; all of it was made by a star that had used up all its hydrogen and started fusing heavier elements. Nearly all of the energy we use on earth (a small fraction is from nuclear…

Used very little, but there's also tidal and geothernal power.

Tidal movement of the oceans is generated by the pull of the moon and sun. Given the Earth / Moon system is only exists because the of the Sun, they're both arguable solar also.

Re: The Oldest Galaxies in the Universe

#13

Every atom in your body was forged in a star. The iron in your blood, the oxygen and carbon that make up the proteins and fats that allow complex organisms to exist, the copper and gold we use for wiring, the uranium we're splitting for energy; all of it was made by a star that had used up all its hydrogen and started fusing heavier elements. Nearly all of the energy we use on earth (a small fraction is from nuclear…

How about all the hydrogen in those hydrocarbons and carbohydrates. Wouldn't that be original hydrogen atoms from the pre-star universe?

Re: The Oldest Galaxies in the Universe

#14

Every atom in your body was forged in a star. The iron in your blood, the oxygen and carbon that make up the proteins and fats that allow complex organisms to exist, the copper and gold we use for wiring, the uranium we're splitting for energy; all of it was made by a star that had used up all its hydrogen and started fusing heavier elements. Nearly all of the energy we use on earth (a small fraction is from nuclear…

Hehe, this reminds me of some George Carlin show. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6RT6rL2UroE

Re: The Oldest Galaxies in the Universe

#16
post #2

Although the Webb telephone will be 100x better than Hubble, you gotta wonder if it wouldn't be useful to keep Hubble around for a few more decades. Surely, there's enough work for both.

You're absolutely right and, thankfully, NASA agrees with you. NASA plans to continue operating Hubble even after JWST is up for as long as Hubble still functions. Without shuttles, there will be no more servicing missions, so when it breaks, that'll be it. Until then, Hubble will keep doing its thing.

Re: The Oldest Galaxies in the Universe

#17
The James Webb Telescope has a planned mission life of up to 10 years. At some point after that, it will fail. Given that it's going to be parked at L2, what happens at the end of its life? Presumably it'll just sit there waiting for a future salvage ship to come along and scoop it up for parts?

Re: The Oldest Galaxies in the Universe

#18
post #4

This is a spurious comment but how neat to be blasted by photons which have travelled for billions of years. I presume, if they're hitting the telescope they're probably hitting me (which does make me feel a little self centered). I wonder how long they will keep traveling? The cosmos have been super interesting lately with those weird formations orbiting one star and the SETI project being refocused on another after…

I couldn't find anything concerning what you said about SETI. Do you have a link I could get?

Re: The Oldest Galaxies in the Universe

#19
post #10
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do they know the photons were from billions of years ago?

If an object is measured to be a billion light years away, that means that light from that object takes a billion years to get here.

Right... but how do you know it takes a billion year to get here?

Re: The Oldest Galaxies in the Universe

#20
post #18
post #4

This is a spurious comment but how neat to be blasted by photons which have travelled for billions of years. I presume, if they're hitting the telescope they're probably hitting me (which does make me feel a little self centered). I wonder how long they will keep traveling? The cosmos have been super interesting lately with those weird formations orbiting one star and the SETI project being refocused on another after…

I couldn't find anything concerning what you said about SETI. Do you have a link I could get?

Yea sure, I found this on Fark.com [0].

Sorry coulda documented better!

[0]- http://www.universetoday.com/122971/seti-institute-undertake...

Post reply on HN