Oct 21 2010The Oldest Object In Space (Found To Date)
When I think old I think the tub of cottage cheese in my fridge that was there when I moved in. I'm afraid to touch it. Not even the pickles and artichoke hearts will go anywhere near that thing. And you know what? I don't blame them. What I do do is gag every time I see it.
Homing in on an object found during the Hubble Space Telescope's long, deep stare into the distant past, astronomers have fished out a galaxy whose light has traveled more than 13 billion light-years to get here, making it the oldest astronomical object found so far.
The universe's most senior citizen is called UDFy-38135539, but scientists suspect its title as record-holder -- previously held by a gamma-ray burst -- will not last.Measurements taken of UDFy-38135539 by Lehnert and colleagues confirm it formed within 600 million years of the universe's creation. Theoretical models and computer simulations suggest that the first galaxies could have formed as early as 200 million years after the Big Bang event.
First of all, gamma-ray bursts shouldn't even be allowed to hold records. It ain't right. That's like awarding a spectator a medal in the Olympics. You're not even a real person. Secondly, a galaxy that was crated 600-million years after the Big Bang? That's nothing. Because I used to know a galaxy that formed 500-million years after the Huge Splooge that would buy me and my friends beer in high school. Also, did you know that outerspace is mostly empty space? Because what if we're cruising and I have to pee between galaxies? Just wet my spacesuit? Too late!
Hit the jump for an artist's rendering of the Methuselah galaxy.
Oldest Object in Universe Found [discovery]
and
Scientists pinpoint the farthest galaxy [cosmiclog]
Thanks to Jordan N. and Mr. Sausage, who have been to UDFy-38135539 and claim it's a dry-galaxy. No booze, no GW, personal policy.
Reader Comments
1. Gamer - October 21, 2010 10:45 AM
Whoo! Thats a galaxy that tells the other galaxies to get off its lawn.
2. BullPucky - October 21, 2010 10:46 AM
These folks think they know everything! Give me a break!!
3. Zaq - October 21, 2010 10:48 AM
They aren't saying it's 600 Million years old, they're saying it was formed within 600 Million years of the Big Bang. So... it's pretty old.
4. Gw's Pet Dino - October 21, 2010 10:52 AM
Dino Purr: Rawrrrrrrr
5. Blastphemer - October 21, 2010 10:57 AM
"Found to Date" what?...other younger, hotter galaxies with implants??
6. Lmao - October 21, 2010 11:00 AM
Really? I thought it was your mom
OH SNAP!!!
7. NapTime - October 21, 2010 11:01 AM
@5....the Michael Douglas galaxy??
8. Jonathan - October 21, 2010 11:02 AM
Yeah, GW misinterpreted the article a bit. How could light travel for 13 billion years to reach us from a galaxy that is only 600 million years old? That light was in a hurry, I tell you what!
Its age is "within 600 million years of the Big Bang event." Which puts it quite a bit older, up into the billions-of-years range. Makes you wonder what the type of life there looks like if it's had that long to develop.
9. Tragic1 - October 21, 2010 11:19 AM
@ Gamer
I totally lol'd at that.
@Zaq Correctamundo. GW was probably hungover. =-p
10. Fake naas - October 21, 2010 11:21 AM
this was on extreme rollercoasters on the travel channel last week™
11. Kelehendros - October 21, 2010 11:25 AM
lets signal at them in binary something like
"All your bacon R belong to us"
12. nandayo - October 21, 2010 11:27 AM
the fact that tree in on his way home may be callled performance if and only if the bag gets caught by police.
13. lotuspixie - October 21, 2010 11:27 AM
Jonathan beat me to correcting you, but I'm going to do it anyways. To put it slightly another way, the galaxy is at least 13 Billion years old. And it's birthday was some time only 600 Million years after the universe began. (for comparison, the Earth is about 4.5 Billion years old)
14. naas - October 21, 2010 11:42 AM
this was on extreme rollercoasters on the travel channel last week
15. (◕_◕)┌∩┐Closet Nerd - October 21, 2010 11:55 AM
At the Franklin Institute's Phels Planetarium (in Philadelphia) they play this Carl Sagan auto-tune song between planetarium shows.... just sayin
http://www.geekologie.com/2010/06/symphony_of_science_the_case_f.php
16. Jab - October 21, 2010 2:44 PM
Everyone knows the galaxy is only 6000 years old and stars are just pinholes in the sky tarp.
17. Deflocks - October 21, 2010 2:50 PM
"What I do do" lolz he said do-do
18. Rob - October 21, 2010 3:48 PM
Amazing thing about it is that we're actually seeing it as it was 13 billion years ago.
19. Dishy - October 21, 2010 4:53 PM
This is really old GW. I demand my money back!
20. FiveOh - October 21, 2010 6:09 PM
@18
Quite mind-blowing when you really think about it.
21. freakinwright - October 21, 2010 6:35 PM
twenty-FIRST!
22. fizit - October 21, 2010 7:22 PM
We are seeing the galaxy as it looked 600 million years after the big bang, which puts an upper limit on its age. The galaxy is "now" 13 billion years old (and probably part of a Brightest Cluster Galaxy or other massive Elliptical), but it is not inaccurate to say that the galaxy is "600 million years old" in that we are seeing it when it was that age.
It would be the same as studying a person based on photographs taken of them when they were 5. They may be 50 now, but your only data is of that person as a 5 year old.
23. Adam - October 21, 2010 8:29 PM
haha do do...
24. Jab - October 21, 2010 8:52 PM
I don't think GW says anywhere that it's 600 million years old, unless he changed it? What are you complaining about?
25. rocksta - October 22, 2010 3:12 PM
@adam. YOU BEAT ME TO IT!!! hahaha, do do.