Posted on 04/13/2011 8:47:56 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
While astronomers are largely baffled by the question of how the universe began, they should probably hurry up and figure it out. In the far future, most of the evidence will be long gone, a new study suggests.
Though future astronomers will likely have the benefit of advanced technology and a more sophisticated understanding of physics, they won't be able to take advantage of the last vestiges of evidence left over from the Big Bang. The trace signals from the explosion that set the universe in motion 13.7 billion years ago will likely be all gone 1 trillion years from now, the researchers said. ..
However, researchers have identified some backup clues that our distant descendants (if humanity is still around) could use to trace the history of the universe.
A lucky time
Astronomers today can look at galaxies more than 13 billion years away that were formed only millions of years after the universe began. They can also study the so-called cosmic microwave background radiation a pervasive light in the cosmos that was created by the Big Bang and still lingers on.
However, in the distant future, these clues won't be visible to scientists on Earth or its near environs. The cosmic microwave background light will have faded away ..
And because the universe is expanding, the ancient galaxies that are now just within our field of view will be too far away to see from future Earth. ..
However, all hope for future celestial sleuths is not lost, because future astronomers might be able to study the Big Bang through so-called hypervelocity stars that have been flung out of the Milkomeda galaxy.
These stars will be the most distant light sources visible to astronomers in our galaxy in the year 1 trillion A.D. (C.E.).
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
Hurry up! Only a trillion years left!
Oh darn my only reason to stay alive is gone. /s
Damned. I missed it. Too busy with life. I’ll try to catch it on reruns.
(In fact, by that time, our own Milky Way galaxy will have collided with its neighbor, Andromeda, to create the Milkomeda galaxy.)
That would be one serious galactic light show.
No prob, fire up the time machine and go see the Big Bang.
I wish the evidence for all such nonsense had been gone by now.
WOW! That’s less than one budget deficit year!
It seems virtually impossible that humanity would be around then considering not only would our own star have gone supernova hundreds of billions of years earlier, but I think our galaxy will also be gone by then as well. Considering the distances we're talking about, it's unlikely we would be able to escape it.
....except for Keith Richards. Nothing is killing that guy, ever.
Well, according to posters here and elsewhere, the Beatles and the Elvis music, not to mention Fabian Forte and Pat Benatar will be around forever.
As long as Obama is burning in hell, I’ll wait..
Globul Warming will kill us off before then.
By then you can be sure the budget will be balanced, Afghanistan will be democratic, and we’ll be driving electric GM cars.
How very galaxo-centric of you. Are you sure that it would not be the Androgynous Way Galaxy?
Don’t leave me hangin’!
Yea! Count down to static free radio reception.
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