OT James Webb Space Telescope Updates

[WestSideLion]

Webb Telescope Captures Supernova Appearing Three Times Due to Spacetime Bending

A gravitational lens tripled the event in the night sky and helped astronomers measure the rate at which the universe is expanding.

gizmodo.com

Thanks for sharing these updates, Tom. This stuff underlines how inconsequential we are in the grand scheme of the universe. Here is distant light distorted by a cluster of galaxies (!) 3.6 billion light years away. The light source is likely an order of magnitude more distant than that.

Then the article references a 13 billion (with a B!) year old star spotted in a similar manner. There's no escaping that we are in the midst of learning more about the origins and inner workings of the universe and physics than all learned in human history so far.

And the sheer math involved underlines that there simply must be other forms of intelligent life out in this vastness. Or at least that have existed over different times through the course of 13 billion years.

 

[Woodpecker]

Thanks for sharing these updates, Tom. This stuff underlines how inconsequential we are in the grand scheme of the universe. Here is distant light distorted by a cluster of galaxies (!) 3.6 billion light years away. The light source is likely an order of magnitude more distant than that.

Then the article references a 13 billion (with a B!) year old star spotted in a similar manner. There's no escaping that we are in the midst of learning more about the origins and inner workings of the universe and physics than all learned in human history so far.

And the sheer math involved underlines that there simply must be other forms of intelligent life out in this vastness. Or at least that have existed over different times through the course of 13 billion years.

I can't even comprehend what football discussion boards are like in other universes. I wonder if they're posting about us!

 

[WestSideLion]

I can't even comprehend what football discussion boards are like in other universes. I wonder if they're posting about us!

Given that the observable universe is 46 billion light years in any direction from Earth, most of those other civilizations evolved through sports like football billions of years ago. That assumes they were able to avoid killing themselves.

 

[Zenophile]

Given that the observable universe is 46 billion light years in any direction from Earth, most of those other civilizations evolved through sports like football billions of years ago. That assumes they were able to avoid killing themselves.

Fortunately the light from their Plotit days is just now reaching us.

 

[Woodpecker]

Given that the observable universe is 46 billion light years in any direction from Earth, most of those other civilizations evolved through sports like football billions of years ago. That assumes they were able to avoid killing themselves.

Ah the transfer portal and NIL stories they could tell ...

 

[leinbacker]

And the sheer math involved underlines that there simply must be other forms of intelligent life out in this vastness. Or at least that have existed over different times through the course of 13 billion years.

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away.