January 20, 2004
Every year, the Earth returns to the same point in its orbit where it was when you were born.
Unexpected Galaxy String in the Early Universe
Birthday · January 20, 2004
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APOD published January 20, 2004. Full image credits are on the original APOD entry below. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
How could such a long string of galaxies form so early in the universe? Several new measurements of galaxies and clusters in the early universe are reporting structures involving galaxies and clusters that are larger than expected with the new standard "dark-energy" cosmology. The controversy centers on the inability of a dark-energy dominated universe to create such large structures. Fans of the old standard cosmology -- without weird but pervasive dark energy -- are hoping that these new measurements rule out the newly popular strange universe. Previously, however, data taken from several independent sources over the past few years has only appeared to bolster the bold new universe paradigm. A compromise is still possible if the new data is not typical or if the comparison computer simulations are not properly biased. Pictured above is a computer-generated illustration of a universe that shows a string of galaxies of the size measured. The size of the superimposed box is about 300 million light years on a side.