So, is time running out for us to explore the universe by telescope? Think of it, dark energy is causing a speed up of the expansion of the universe. Everything we look at is red shifted indicating that it is leaving us. At an ever increasing speed. So how long do we have before we can not see anything except those galaxies bound to us by gravational force? Maybe a few thousand surrounding galaxies. Will everything increase in speed until it hits the speed of light? If that happens then it effectively eliminates us going to other galaxies very far away. For more info see this link: http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/universe_end_011212.html
I don't think there's any need to panic just yet. Telescopes have only been around for three hundred years and a lot's been accomplished; imagine what can be done in the next couple of billion.
Also the light from the galaxies that haven't reached us yet have to get to us eventually. But what a sad thought Wet1, it also means we'll be waving goodbye to beautiful space images. You'll have to think of something cheery to counter that sad thought. Cheers, Teri
Don't be so sure. Even if wormholes proove to be unusable or unexisting, we still may find another dimension to use it as a highway. maybe it would/has have different time and space charecteristics. 800 years ago we thought tht earth was the center of universe. Now we think tht we know it is only a tiny -90 part of universe, but wht if there are other universes. You see -there is so much to discover tht we can not say for sure tht smthing is impossible. If I told you 400 years ago tht I can talk to another person on the other side of the earth you would have said tht tht is impossible. Take a look at mobile phones now. In 50s computer was as large as your garage(assuming you have a big garage) Now computer with greater power thn tht may be implanted in my brain.[visual implants for blind-experimental stage now]
THERE IS NO NEED FOR LIVING IN FEAR. EVERYTHING IS MOVING AWAY FROM US AND WE ARE MOVING AWAY FROM OTHERS GALAXIES,THOSE GENERATION IN THOSE PLACES AROUND THE UNIVERSE ARE ,ALSO, RUNNING OUT OF TIME.I DO BELIEVE THAT THE UNIVERSE HAS BEEN GETTING THROUGH CHANGES AND THIS ONE.SOMEDAY THIS MIGHT STOP AND BEGIN AGAIN.
Sagittarius Dwarf to Collide with Milky Way - Again! http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980216.html Andromeda's headed this way! http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/97/34/af1.html "The space between stars is so vast that when galaxies collide, the stars in them usually do not collide." http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991109.html
Oh yes... almost forgot.... we ARE 'running out of time!' Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Welcome to Sciforums, flamethrower. I believe that I have prevousily welcomed Tedman, and the other members who have answered are old friends by now. The idea is that time may be running out for us by the time we catch the ability (if we ever do) to do FLT. It may be that by the time we discover FLT that the distances are so great that even FLT results in journeys beyond the lifetime of it's crew members. I realize that in the post starting this thread that I did not mention anything beyond the idea that the visuals could one day be limited (in the far future) but I had hoped that one of the posts might pick up this idea. Since it was not I will bring it to the forefront. If other galaxies are so far away and going at such speeds that we could not see the light from them then how far away they would be is beyond my imagining. The distance would be immense. To have to overcome this would be a large problem. As Teri2 has mentioned I love these deep space pictures that come to us from such sources as the HST. Imagine a point where we no longer could trap enough light to see them. avatar has mentioned that we can not define what is improbable or even impossible other than within the confines of what we do today. That technology may find a way to prevent us from being isolated. This is indeed a hope but without a clue as to how that can be done today. Tedman mentions that this has been ongoing and is the nature of things. Of this we can be sure of. Lastly, I love that warped clock, flamethrower.
Radio telescopes still will be able to see what's out there long after optical telescopes are blinded by cosmologic red-shifting. That fact buys us even more Billion years. Race you to the end. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
