'Space blob' baffles astronomers

It might not look like much, but this image represents one of the most
distant objects astronomers have ever seen, 12.9 billion light years away.

It is a "Lyman-alpha blob" and is 55,000 light years across - as large
as present-day galaxies.

Though younger such blobs have been found, "Himiko" confounds the idea
that such large objects grew more recently by the merger of smaller ones.

Objects as big as modern-day galaxies should have taken significant time
to build up from mergers of smaller chunks of matter.

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | 'Space blob' baffles astronomers
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8007844.stm

On Apr 22, 9:37*pm, Yousuf Khan wrote:
It might not look like much, but this image represents one of the most
distant objects astronomers have ever seen, 12.9 billion light years away..

It is a "Lyman-alpha blob" and is 55,000 light years across - as large
as present-day galaxies.

Though younger such blobs have been found, "Himiko" confounds the idea
that such large objects grew more recently by the merger of smaller ones.

Objects as big as modern-day galaxies should have taken significant time
to build up from mergers of smaller chunks of matter.

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | 'Space blob' baffles astronomershttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8007844.stm

Although interesting because of its' age, I'm amazed an object a dozen
pixels wide is getting so much attention.

File this under "needs more telescope time".

"Yousuf Khan" wrote in message
...
It might not look like much, but this image represents one of the most
distant objects astronomers have ever seen, 12.9 billion light years away.

It is a "Lyman-alpha blob" and is 55,000 light years across - as large as
present-day galaxies.

Though younger such blobs have been found, "Himiko" confounds the idea
that such large objects grew more recently by the merger of smaller ones.

Objects as big as modern-day galaxies should have taken significant time
to build up from mergers of smaller chunks of matter.

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | 'Space blob' baffles astronomers
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8007844.stm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyman-alpha_line
In physics, the Lyman-alpha line, sometimes written as Ly-? line, is a
spectral line of hydrogen, or more generally of one-electron ions, in the
Lyman series, emitted when the electron falls from the n = 2 orbital to the
n = 1 orbital, where n is the principal quantum number. In hydrogen, its
wavelength of 121.6 nanometres, corresponding to a frequency of 2.47 × 1015
hertz, places the Lyman-alpha line in the far ultraviolet part of the
electromagnetic spectrum.

Not much in keeping with Hubble red shift, is it?
So which genius determined its distance, age and diameter,
based on what mix of theories?

Hello Androcles:

On Apr 23, 1:44*am, "Androcles" wrote:
"Yousuf Khan" wrote in message
....
BBC NEWS | Science & Environment |
'Space blob' baffles astronomers
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8007844.stm
....
Not much in keeping with Hubble red shift, is it?
So which genius determined its distance, age and diameter,
based on what mix of theories?

Probably something like this:
http://arxiv.org/abs/0805.3501

David A. Smith

"dlzc" wrote in message
...
Hello Androcles:

On Apr 23, 1:44 am, "Androcles" wrote:
"Yousuf Khan" wrote in message
....
BBC NEWS | Science & Environment |
'Space blob' baffles astronomers
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8007844.stm
....
Not much in keeping with Hubble red shift, is it?
So which genius determined its distance, age and diameter,
based on what mix of theories?

Probably something like this:
http://arxiv.org/abs/0805.3501

David A. Smith
Yeah, well, I figured as much. Big Bang and only one speed of light
is deeply ingrained in the psychotic mind, so a distant object always
has to be seen as a young object. Nature isn't quite that simple, she
hides her secrets away from blind crank theorists. There is probably
more angel dust in that paper than there is hydrogen dust in the object.

On Apr 22, 10:37*pm, Yousuf Khan wrote:
It might not look like much, but this image represents one of the most
distant objects astronomers have ever seen, 12.9 billion light years away..

It is a "Lyman-alpha blob" and is 55,000 light years across - as large
as present-day galaxies.

Though younger such blobs have been found, "Himiko" confounds the idea
that such large objects grew more recently by the merger of smaller ones.

Objects as big as modern-day galaxies should have taken significant time
to build up from mergers of smaller chunks of matter.

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | 'Space blob' baffles astronomershttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8007844.stm

Why not look at whatever's 100+ billion light years away? (aka the
next universe over)

If a parent or primary blob as old as this can remain as vibrant as
this 55,000 light year thing, it must be packed with a great many
stellar and black hole items of the truly massive kind, and by rights
there should be lots more of the same further out.

~ BG