Astronomy Picture of the Day 5-29-02

NASA ^ | 5-29-02 | Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell

[petuniasevan]

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2002 May 29

Cosmic Ripples Implicate Dark Universe
Credit: Very Small Array Collaboration

Explanation: What may appear fuzzy to some makes things crystal clear to others. The cosmic microwave background radiation emanating from the universe could only have the above fuzzy pattern if it contained clear amounts of dark matter and dark energy. The conclusion, based on a detailed analysis of the temperature and spacing of the bumps, was a surprise to those who felt that previous evidence for such a strange universe, based on observations of distant supernovae, was somehow inaccurate. The measurements were made with a novel group of microwave telescopes in Tenerife, Spain called the Very Small Array. The bumps appearing above are some of the oldest objects ever seen.

[petuniasevan]

No need to wait for it to load! It's fuzzy!

By a process called interferometry the group of microwave receivers called the Very Small Array is able to measure small fluctuations in the cosmic background radiation.

Definition of interferometry: The study of interference patterns created by the combination of two sets of radar signals.

The universe is not only stranger than we imagine, it's stranger than we CAN imagine.

Get on the APOD PING list!

[petuniasevan]

APOD PING!

[petuniasevan]

An "I hope you don't mind" APOD PING!

I'd like your feedback on the subject at hand.

[Michael Barnes]

Using the array, if it is "pointed" to the same point of the sky everytime, I assume these patterns change continually??

[altair]

Why should they? This picture represents a time when the universe was very young and it took billions of years to get from there to here.

[petuniasevan]

Altair's right. These are massive regions of the early universe; you will not see any changes in a given area.
The finite speed of light prevents that.

By "fluctuations" I was not referring to changes in time but rather in adjacent regions of space.

[farmfriend]

Oooo, modern art!

[petuniasevan]

No, very ancient art!

[farmfriend]

Oh, finger painting.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[aomagrat]

I think I see a face in there.

[foolish-one]

Fuzzy blobs of red, orange and black? Or an awe-inspiring display of unimaginable origin and immenseness? Beauty truly IS in the eye of the beholder. Thanks.

[headsonpikes]

"...Interferometry..."

So this picture is more or less equivalent to a colorized map of say...geomagnetic forces in a given region of Earth.

The aesthetic of these esoteric renderings has always a kind of organic or chaotic dynamic, but the colors are chosen by a programmer.

I prefer nebulae and spiral galaxies. ;^)

[fuente]

Interesting. Kinda looks like pictures of atoms....

[Helix]

BTTT. Thank you for these fascinating posts.

[petuniasevan]

You're very welcome. BTW, the 5-30 edition is out.