Growing Pains: Unravelling the Size of Our Universe

Hi Readers,

I stumbled across this really interesting paper the other day. The article described how using new techniques, a team of scientists have managed to accurately measure the distance to our nearest neighbouring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud. Such data is not only astounding but also necessary for improving our knowledge of the universe.

The Large Magellanic Cloud. Image taken from Wikipedia.

The true values of knowing that the Large Magellanic Cloud is 163, 000 lights years from our own Milky Way galaxy is that now we can more accurately measure the distance to other further galaxies and even the size of the universe. The team who made this important discovery have used the stars, specifically dual stars, as markers like candles. Then the distance of these stars from the Earth was determined by observing the changes in brightness of the light emitted as they moved in their respective systems. Much how you can guess the distance from a car you are at night time. This has large implications for our understanding of the size of the universe and its rate of expansion.

By measuring the rate that galaxies are moving away from eachother, we can infer the rate of expansion of our universe. Understanding the rate of  expansion of our universe can help us to unravel the secrets of Dark Matter and Dark Energy; two very important factors of the life of our universe since the Big Bang.

Dark Matter as we understand it is the invisible scaffolding of our universe. It holds everything together and in place. Dark Energy on the other hand works as an opposing and ever-expanding force driving galaxies apart. It is Dark Energy therefore that is what thought to cause the inexplicable phenomenon of the universe expanding. Having accurate measurements between galaxies over time will provide strong evidence for 1) the existence of Dark Energy and 2) show that the galaxies used to be closer together providing evidence for the Big Bang Theory.

This incredible finding is one of many more equally incredible steps required to unravel the endless mysterious of our Universe.

Until next time,
Jay

Article:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130306134016.htm