Astronomers Create A New '"Google Maps Of The Universe' Featuring a MILLION Previously Undiscovered Galaxies
BBC- Australian scientists say they have mapped a million new galaxies using an advanced telescope in the desert.
The CSIRO, the national science agency, said its new telescope had created "a new atlas of the universe" in record time - showing unprecedented detail.
It mapped three million galaxies in total, with pictures revealing twice the level of detail of previous surveys, the study said.
Astronomers hope the images will lead to new discoveries about the universe.
The CSIRO said the mapping took just 300 hours, whereas previous all-sky surveys had taken years. With the data publicly available, scientists around the world would be able to study "everything from star formation to how galaxies and their super-massive black hole evolve and interact", said lead author Dr David McConnell.
The map was stitched together using just 903 highly detailed images. Previous surveys have needed tens of thousands to complete a picture of the sky.
Astronomers said the depth and scale was exciting because by cataloguing the millions of galaxies beyond the Milky Way, they can conduct statistical analyses. These can help with understanding of how the universe evolved and is structured.
It seems like every other month we get news like this.
"Millions of previously undiscovered galaxies discovered" and reality comes crashing down yet again just how infinitesimal we human beings, here on earth, really are.
I don't know why this stuff fascinates me so much because the more I learn about it the more depressed I end up.
Like Derek Zoolander questioning the meaning of life-
Then you watch a video like this showing what little specs we are
Or this one that I still can't wrap my head around showing illustrations of just how small Earth actually is in the grand scheme of things.
And the REALLY shitty part about these discoveries is that scientists have realized there are actually better planets out there for us than Earth. Figure that one out-
The Independent- Earth is not necessarily the best planet in the universe for life, a new study has found.
Researchers have found some 24 planets that are "superhabitable", offering conditions more suitable for life than they are here on Earth.
And some of them even have better stars than our own Sun, the researchers said.
The new study looked for worlds that would be even more likely to foster life than our own – including those that are older, bigger, warmer and wetter than Earth – in the hope of informing future searches for life elsewhere in the universe.
The study identified 24 of the “superhabitable” planets. They are all 100 light years away, making them difficult if not impossible to ever see up close, but research with future telescopes could give us much more information about those worlds.
Researchers identified a host of possible criteria for such superhabitable planets. They then looked through the 4,500 known planets outside of our solar system that have been found, in an attempt to identify which could have those important criteria.
Superhabitable planets would also likely have a little more water than Earth, especially if it was kept as moisture. Being slightly warmer would also make a planet more habitable, with an ideal of about 5 degrees Celsius hotter than Earth thought to be the biggest improvement.
What if aliens are just the inhabitants of these other more luxurious planets trying to make sure we stay right here, far far away from them, and don't get any ideas about space travel or inter planet migration?