Have you ever wondered how far away galaxies are from us or how big the universe really is?
Scientists have been working hard to answer these questions, and a new study gives them an even better tool to measure distances across the universe.
Researchers from several Chinese universities and the University of Cordoba in Spain have come up with a new way to detect something called Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO).
Think of these as the universe’s “footprints” left behind shortly after the Big Bang, the event that created the universe.
These waves stretched out through hot matter like ripples in a pond. As the universe expanded and cooled down, these waves got frozen in place.
Knowing how these waves behave helps scientists figure out how far away things are in the universe.
Until now, measuring these waves was a complex task. The new study, however, gives scientists a different and more accurate way to do it.
How Did They Do It?
The team of scientists took a close look at about one million galaxies. They paid attention to two important things: the shape of these galaxies and how packed they were with matter.
Usually, galaxies tend to stretch towards areas where there are more galaxies, thanks to the pull of gravity. But in some parts of the universe, this isn’t the case.
It turns out, these are the areas where BAO waves are hiding.
By noticing where galaxies don’t stretch as expected, the researchers could pinpoint where these ancient waves are.
This new method, combined with previous techniques, makes measuring distances in the universe even more accurate.
Why Does It Matter?
You may ask, “Why is it important to know these distances?” Well, understanding how far away things are in space helps us piece together the history of the universe.
We can learn more about how it expanded and what it’s made of, including mysterious things like dark matter and dark energy. These are things that we know exist but don’t fully understand yet.
Also, when we look far away into the universe, we’re actually looking back in time. The light from distant galaxies took billions of years to reach us.
By knowing their distances more accurately, we’re getting a clearer view of what the universe was like a long, long time ago.
In simple terms, this study is like giving astronomers a more accurate ruler to measure the universe.
And the better we can measure, the more we can learn about the cosmos and our place in it.
So, the next time you look up at the stars, you can marvel at the fact that we’re getting closer to understanding the grand tapestry of the universe.
The study was published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
Follow us on Twitter for more articles about this topic.
