Making the universe a little closer and brighter

No_Style · Apr 30, 2005, 09:28 PM

In a kind of belated birthday present to Albert Einstein, whose theory of relativity is 100 years old this year, astronomers say they have confirmed an essential but previously unconfirmed prediction of general relativity, namely that the entire universe can act as a magnifying lens.

The light from distant quasars, enigmatic and violent galaxy-birthing events on the shores of time, some 10 billion light-years away, has been magnified by the gravitational force of lumps and irregularities in the structure of the nearby cosmos. So the quasars appear slightly brighter in telescopes than they actually are, according to a multinational team of researchers led by Ryan Scranton of the University of Pittsburgh.

The team reached that conclusion after sifting a mountain of data about 13 million galaxies and other celestial objects, obtained by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, a continuing effort to remap the heavens.
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Read More/Source: C|Net Tech News

Apr 30, 2005, 09:28 PM	#1
No_Style Styleless Wonder Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Ottawa, Ontario Posts: 6,034 Rep Power: 0	Making the universe a little closer and brighter In a kind of belated birthday present to Albert Einstein, whose theory of relativity is 100 years old this year, astronomers say they have confirmed an essential but previously unconfirmed prediction of general relativity, namely that the entire universe can act as a magnifying lens. The light from distant quasars, enigmatic and violent galaxy-birthing events on the shores of time, some 10 billion light-years away, has been magnified by the gravitational force of lumps and irregularities in the structure of the nearby cosmos. So the quasars appear slightly brighter in telescopes than they actually are, according to a multinational team of researchers led by Ryan Scranton of the University of Pittsburgh. The team reached that conclusion after sifting a mountain of data about 13 million galaxies and other celestial objects, obtained by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, a continuing effort to remap the heavens. _______________ Read More/Source: C\|Net Tech News __________________ "The Best Style Is No Style" Specifications Here