© GRAPHIC NEWS

© GRAPHIC NEWS

© GRAPHIC NEWS

Graphic shows key scientific achievements in 2016.
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YEAR END

Scientific achievements of 2016

By Duncan Mil

December 31, 2016 - This year brought the detection of gravitational waves predicted by Albert Einstein in 1915, discovery of a new record-breaking prime number, creation of a self-replicating man-made spieces and a Superman-style memory crystal. As 2016 comes to a close, here is a look back at some of the top scientific breakthroughs, discoveries, and announcements.

EDITORS: Caption from Hubble Team

Hubble detects GN-z11 – most remote galaxy ever seen. At distance of 13.4 billion light-years from Earth, it appears as it was just 400 million years after Big Bang

The original Astrophysical Journal report says: “The light from GN-z11 is 200 million years closer to the Big Bang than that of the previous record-holder, a galaxy called EGSY8p7 that was found last year. That puts GN-z11 about 32 billion light years away.” See the sixth paragraph: Phys Org

There is a paradox here. If the Universe is between 13.7-13.8 billion years old (observations from NASA and ESA) then how can GN-z11 be 32 billion light years away from Earth — it suggests that the galaxy is older than the Universe.

However, the Universe is an awfully big place and is still expanding from the Big Bang. In June, astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope calculated that the distance between astronomical objects would double in the next 9.8 billion years.

Winding the clock back towards the Big Bang means that GN-z11 was 13.4 billion light years from Earth when light from the galaxy started its journey across intergalactic space.

We see the light from it 13.4 billion light years ago, but over that period the distance between Earth and GN-z11 has expanded to 32 billion light years.

In writing about galaxy EGSY8p7, the previous record holder for the most distant galaxy known, NASA uses these words: “Here are the newest candidates (as of September and May 2015 respectively) for farthest galaxy yet detected. EGS8p7 at more than 13.2 billion light years away, and EGS-zs8-1 at 13.1 billion light years away.” See the fifth paragraph: NASA

But because the Universe has been expanding all this time, galaxy EGSY8p7 isn’t just 13.2 billion light years away; it’s more like 30.4 billion light years distant.

If NASA uses distances in relation to the age of the Universe, then it’s apparently correct to use both googol-sized numbers.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 02/12/2016; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Associated Press
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