November 9, Celestial Objects to Observe. October 19, By: Monica Young September 28, September 16, Black Holes. By: Monica Young August 25, Imaging Foundations with Richard Wright. August 16, July 15, In our own cosmos, Livio said, astronomers will be better able to refine the number upon the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope for which his institute will manage the mission operations and science.
Hubble is able to peer back at galaxies that formed about million years after the Big Bang. After James Webb launches in , astronomers anticipate they can look as far back as million years after the Big Bang.
While it is interesting to count the number of galaxies in our universe, astronomers are more interested in how galaxies reveal how the universe was formed. According to NASA, galaxies are a representation of how matter in the universe was organized — at least, on the large scale. Scientists are also interested in particle types and quantum mechanics, on the small side of the spectrum.
Because Webb can look back to the early days of the universe, its information will help scientists better understand the structures of the galaxies around us today. Webb will also allow scientists to gather data on the types of stars that existed in these very early galaxies," NASA said of Webb's mission. These studies will also reveal details about merging galaxies and shed light on the process of galaxy formation itself.
Scientists are also interested in the role that dark matter plays in the assembly of galaxies. While some of the universe is visible in forms such as galaxies or stars, dark matter is what makes up most of the universe — about 80 percent of it.
While dark matter is invisible in wavelengths of light or through emissions of energy, studies of galaxies dating back to the s indicated there was far more mass present in them than what was visible with the naked eye. The visible matter we see collects inside this scaffolding in the form of stars and galaxies. The way dark matter 'clumps' together is that small objects form first, and are drawn together to form larger ones.
Webb's powerful mirrors will allow scientists to look at galaxy formation — including the role of dark matter — up close. While this investigation doesn't directly answer how many galaxies there are in the universe, it does help scientists better understand the processes behind the galaxies we see, which in turn better informs models about galactic populations. Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more!
And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community space. Elizabeth Howell is a contributing writer for Space. She is the author or co-author of several books on space exploration. Elizabeth holds a Ph. She also holds a bachelor of journalism degree from Carleton University in Canada, where she began her space-writing career in Besides writing, Elizabeth teaches communications at the university and community college level, and for government training schools.
To see her latest projects, follow Elizabeth on Twitter at howellspace. Elizabeth Howell. The Large Magellanic Cloud may have as many as 10 billion stars within it. This small galaxy will collide with our Milky Way in around 2. Currently, in , it was estimated that there are around 2 trillion galaxies in the observable Universe. Each galaxy is unique, ranging in size from 10, light-years to hundreds of light-years.
Galaxies have been classified under five categories: spiral, barred spiral, lenticular, elliptical, and irregular. Our Milky Way galaxy is a barred spiral galaxy. The Milky Way is considered an average-sized galaxy.
Now, if the Milky Way is an average galaxy, how does a giant galaxy look like? Well, it would like IC , which is currently the largest galaxy ever discovered. IC is more than 50 times larger than the Milky Way.
It stretches for over 5. This galaxy may have trillions of stars and planets. Humans could travel to other galaxies, but the technology involved would look very different from what we currently have. Galaxies are thousands or even millions of light-years away from one another; the distance is almost unfathomable.
The required technology for intergalactic travel is far beyond our current capabilities. They are mostly on the subject of speculation, hypothesis, or science fiction. Reaching the speed of light is crucial for intergalactic space travel, and this presents its own problems and limits.
Even if we were to travel at the speed of light, it would still take us thousands of years, in the best case, to reach another galaxy. Take, for example, the Large Magellanic Cloud, which is one of the closest galaxies to our Milky Way.
This small and minor galaxy is located at around , light-years away from us. Thus, it would take you , years to reach it, and this implies traveling at the speed of light constantly, which also creates many problems.
0コメント