Newly Discovered Young Galaxy Creates 4,000 Stars Per Year 81
Astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have found a galaxy producing an average of up to 4,000 stars per year. They contrast this with the Milky Way, which only produces an average of 10 each year. Nicknamed "Baby Boom," it is a young starburst galaxy, and its stellar birth rate conflicts with a commonly accepted model for the growth of a galaxy. Quoting:
"'The question now is whether the majority of the very most massive galaxies form very early in the universe like the Baby Boom galaxy, or whether this is an exceptional case. Answering this question will help us determine to what degree the Hierarchical Model of galaxy formation still holds true,' [said Peter Capak of NASA's Spitzer Science Center] 'The incredible star-formation activity we have observed suggests that we may be witnessing, for the first time, the formation of one of the most massive elliptical galaxies in the universe,' said co-author Nick Scoville of Caltech, the principal investigator of the Cosmic Evolution Survey,
For what value of 'year'? (Score:5, Interesting)
Gravity well between earth and distant galaxy. (Score:2, Interesting)
maybe there are several gravity wells between our galaxy and the other one that accelerates light at such a pace that we are seeing the whole history of that galaxy at once.
Wasn't there a post here recently that spoke of the speed of light having been faster in the past? Which would mean that the maximum speed of light is not a constant, and can thus be accelerated.
Re:Clearly.... (Score:5, Interesting)
So using Mormon as the subject of a joke will get a -1 Troll while the same joke with Mexican get a +4 Funny?
Re:Clearly.... (Score:3, Interesting)
Another sure-fire way to get modded up on
Works like a charm! Don't cry because you ain't got points!
Re:Gravity well between earth and distant galaxy. (Score:4, Interesting)
As an aside, I have read in a few different places that there is some evidence that the speed of light is exponentially decaying.