Weird question.
When astronomers are looking into space with the hubble telescope, they are looking many light years away.
My question is, is what they are looking at in the past beause it takes the light so long to get back to earth?
2007-05-31 05:00:43 · 5 answers · asked by Stev 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Yeah, you got it in one there. I asked this question a while ago so I know its true. The person below me suggests a telescope that would be able to see the big bang. However this is not possible when the theory of relativity is factored as the universe is expanding at a speed faster than the speed of light. So, we will never be able to see the big bang
2007-05-31 05:05:22 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
What they are seeing is the light that left the object many years ago. Because of the finite speed of light in some cases that means billions of years.
2007-05-31 05:06:36 · answer #2 · answered by Gene 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. Eventually they hope to create a strong enough telescope to clue them into what happened during the Big Bang. It's the same as when we see a star, it may already be dead, but we don't know because the light has not reached us to show us. Space is awesome.
2007-05-31 05:05:34 · answer #3 · answered by tenbsinger 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Some of the farthest galaxies photographed to-day don't exist any longer.
1987A was a blue super giant that blew up 170,000 years ago.
If you had looked at it in 1986 it would have looked normal
Some galaxies are estimated to be billions of light years away.
2007-05-31 05:17:19 · answer #4 · answered by Billy Butthead 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, light travels at a speed of 186,000 Miles per second.
When you look at the sun (not recommended,) you see it as it was 7 minutes ago.
More distant objects are seen as they were proportionately further back in time.
2007-05-31 05:10:08 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋