The Story of the Universe - Revision history

WikiSysop: /* There's No Place Like Home */

2012-04-16T18:22:45Z

There's No Place Like Home

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:22, 16 April 2012
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	The first images of Earth returned to us from space gave us an entirely new sense of our place in the universe, as you will hear in this video narrated by Carl Sagan.		The first images of Earth returned to us from space gave us an entirely new sense of our place in the universe, as you will hear in this [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p86BPM1GV8M video narrated by Carl Sagan].

	The long and the short of it all is that we are very fortunate to live on a beautiful planet, near a modest-sized Sun, in a spiral galaxy called the Milky Way, in an amazing universe that we can, at least in part, understand.		The long and the short of it all is that we are very fortunate to live on a beautiful planet, near a modest-sized Sun, in a spiral galaxy called the Milky Way, in an amazing universe that we can, at least in part, understand.

WikiSysop: /* Second and Third Generation Stars May Have Planets */

2012-04-16T18:22:18Z

Second and Third Generation Stars May Have Planets

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:22, 16 April 2012
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	and may again when the asteroid 99942 Apophis returns on April 13, 2029.		and may again when the asteroid [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99942_Apophis 99942 Apophis] returns on April 13, 2029.

	In addition to light, the Sun sends us a solar wind that makes aurora around the Earth's magnetic poles, like the one in this video. The solar wind is made of charged particles -- mostly protons and electrons -- from the Sun, and the particles are deflected by the Earth's magnetic field and spiral around the field to the magnetic north and south poles of Earth. Similar aurora are seen around the poles of other planets with magnetic fields such as Jupiter and Saturn.		In addition to light, the Sun sends us a solar wind that makes aurora around the Earth's magnetic poles, like the one in [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icugqEEOgkg this video]. The solar wind is made of charged particles -- mostly protons and electrons -- from the Sun, and the particles are deflected by the Earth's magnetic field and spiral around the field to the magnetic north and south poles of Earth. Similar aurora are seen around the poles of other planets with magnetic fields such as Jupiter and Saturn.

WikiSysop: /* First Galaxies and Quasars */

2012-04-16T18:20:17Z

First Galaxies and Quasars

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:20, 16 April 2012
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	<center>		<center>
	The four bright blue-white points are actually images of a single distant [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/~~Quasarquasar~~] made visible by the gravity of a cluster of galaxies that bends the light on its way to us: a gravitational lens.		The four bright blue-white points are actually images of a single distant [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quasar quasar] made visible by the gravity of a cluster of galaxies that bends the light on its way to us: a gravitational lens.
	Credit: K. Sharon and E. Ofek, ESA, NASA		Credit: K. Sharon and E. Ofek, ESA, NASA
	</center>		</center>
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	The most distant galaxies are seen as they were when young, and differ in appearance from those nearby.		The most distant galaxies are seen as they were when young, and differ in appearance from those nearby.
	</center>		</center>


	== Galaxies are Distributed Throughout the Universe in a Pattern Like Swiss Cheese ==		== Galaxies are Distributed Throughout the Universe in a Pattern Like Swiss Cheese ==

WikiSysop: /* First Galaxies and Quasars */

2012-04-16T18:19:36Z

First Galaxies and Quasars

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:19, 16 April 2012
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	Galaxies are Distributed Throughout the Universe in a Pattern Like Swiss Cheese		== Galaxies are Distributed Throughout the Universe in a Pattern Like Swiss Cheese ==


	Surveys of the universe have revealed a foamy pattern in the distribution of galaxies and quasars. Billions and billions of them form clusters and filaments throughout the universe, tracing the dark matter we cannot see. Dark energy is present throughout space as well, and acts against gravity to continually increase the expansion of the universe.		Surveys of the universe have revealed a foamy pattern in the distribution of galaxies and quasars. Billions and billions of them form clusters and filaments throughout the universe, tracing the dark matter we cannot see. Dark energy is present throughout space as well, and acts against gravity to continually increase the expansion of the universe.

	There are large volumes of space that are mostly empty, and filaments of clusters of galaxies throughout. This short movie based on real data from the Sloan Survey shows the actual galaxy distribution through some slices of the universe.		There are large volumes of space that are mostly empty, and filaments of clusters of galaxies throughout. This [http://astro.uchicago.edu/cosmus/projects/sloanmovie/part2a_right.mpeg short movie] based on [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8252705102362324792 real data from the Sloan Survey] shows the actual galaxy distribution through some slices of the universe.

	We can simulate this too, by trying to understand how the universe got into its current state, and following the effect of the gravity to see clusters of galaxies developing in the early universe.		We can simulate this too, by trying to understand how the universe got into its current state, and following the effect of the gravity to see [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsZzAyxsRo0 clusters of galaxies developing in the early universe].

	== Second and Third Generation Stars May Have Planets ==		== Second and Third Generation Stars May Have Planets ==

WikiSysop: /* First Galaxies and Quasars */

2012-04-16T18:17:47Z

First Galaxies and Quasars

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:17, 16 April 2012
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	<center>		<center>
	The four bright blue-white points are actually images of a single distant ~~quasar~~ made visible by the gravity of a cluster of galaxies that bends the light on its way to us: a gravitational lens.		The four bright blue-white points are actually images of a single distant [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quasarquasar] made visible by the gravity of a cluster of galaxies that bends the light on its way to us: a gravitational lens.
	Credit: K. Sharon and E. Ofek, ESA, NASA		Credit: K. Sharon and E. Ofek, ESA, NASA
	</center>		</center>

WikiSysop: /* First Galaxies and Quasars */

2012-04-16T18:16:43Z

First Galaxies and Quasars

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:16, 16 April 2012
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	Quasars are active galaxies gathering matter in the dense early universe.		Quasars are active galaxies gathering matter in the dense early universe.The one shown in the image above is so far from us that we see it now as it was when the Earth was just forming. Quasars are called '''active galaxies''' because their central black hole is thrashing infalling matter into vortices that [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnj-X0bn9BA&feature=related emit enormous amounts of energy] and they eject jets of matter thousands light years out into space.
	The one shown in the image above is so far from us that we see it now as it was when the Earth was just forming.

			Quasars appear much like the nearby [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_87 active galaxy M87], only millions of times brighter at the central nucleus. Below we see a [http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/galaxy/quasar_active-nucleus/2006/23/ distant quasar], 10 billion light years (3 billion parsecs) away, through a cluster of galaxies "only" 7 billion light years away. The cluster's gravity acts as a lens, focusing the light from the bright yellow quasar and its super bright core into [http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060524.html 4 bright blue-white star-like spots].
	Quasars are called active galaxies because their central black hole is thrashing infalling matter into vortices that emit enormous amounts of energy and they eject jets of matter thousands light years out into space.

	Quasars appear much like the nearby active galaxy M87, only millions of times brighter at the central nucleus. Below we see a distant quasar, 10 billion light years (3 billion parsecs) away, through a cluster of galaxies "only" 7 billion light years away. The cluster's gravity acts as a lens, focusing the light from the bright yellow quasar and its super bright core into 4 bright blue-white star-like spots.


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	We can simulate this too, by trying to understand how the universe got into its current state, and following the effect of the gravity to see clusters of galaxies developing in the early universe.		We can simulate this too, by trying to understand how the universe got into its current state, and following the effect of the gravity to see clusters of galaxies developing in the early universe.


	== Second and Third Generation Stars May Have Planets ==		== Second and Third Generation Stars May Have Planets ==

WikiSysop: /* There's No Place Like Home */

2012-04-16T18:11:34Z

There's No Place Like Home

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:11, 16 April 2012
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	[[File:sherwood_gardens.jpg\|center]		[[File:sherwood_gardens.jpg\|center]]

	<center>		<center>
	Spring at Sherwood Gardens, Baltimore, Maryland		Spring at Sherwood Gardens, Baltimore, Maryland
	</~~cente~~>		</center>

WikiSysop: /* There's No Place Like Home */

2012-04-16T18:11:14Z

There's No Place Like Home

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:11, 16 April 2012
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	[[File:~~sherwood_gardens_maryland~~.jpg\|center]		[[File:sherwood_gardens.jpg\|center]

	<center>		<center>
	Spring at Sherwood Gardens, Baltimore, Maryland		Spring at Sherwood Gardens, Baltimore, Maryland
	</~~center.~~		</cente>

WikiSysop: /* There's No Place Like Home */

2012-04-16T18:10:37Z

There's No Place Like Home

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:10, 16 April 2012
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	[[File:~~sherwood_gardens_maryland_600x~~.jpg\|center]		[[File:sherwood_gardens_maryland.jpg\|center]

	<center>		<center>
	Spring at Sherwood Gardens, Baltimore, Maryland		Spring at Sherwood Gardens, Baltimore, Maryland
	</center.		</center.

WikiSysop: /* Fate of the Universe */

2012-04-16T18:10:13Z

Fate of the Universe

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:10, 16 April 2012
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	Fate of the universe may be a Big Rip		Fate of the universe may be a Big Rip
	</center.		</center>