PHYS ORG:
The phenomenon of time dilation is a strange yet experimentally confirmed effect of relativity theory. One of its implications is that events occurring in distant parts of the universe should appear to occur more slowly than events located closer to us. For example, when observing supernovae, scientists have found that distant explosions seem to fade more slowly than the quickly-fading nearby supernovae.The effect can be explained because (1) the speed of light is a constant (independent of how fast a light source is moving toward or away from an observer) and (2) the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate, which causes light from distant objects to redshift (i.e. the wavelengths to become longer) in relation to how far away the objects are from observers on Earth.
In other words, as space expands, the interval between light pulses also lengthens.
Since expansion occurs throughout the universe, it seems that time dilation should be a property of the universe that holds true everywhere, regardless of the specific object or event being observed.
However, a new study has found that this doesn’t seem to be the case - quasars, it seems, give off light pulses at the same rate no matter their distance from the Earth, without a hint of time dilation.
Astronomer Mike Hawkins from the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh came to this conclusion after looking at nearly 900 quasars over periods of up to 28 years. When comparing the light patterns of quasars located about 6 billion light years from us and those located 10 billion light years away, he was surprised to find that the light signatures of the two samples were exactly the same.
... There’s also a possibility that the explanation could be even more far-reaching, such as that the universe is not expanding and that the big bang theory is wrong.
Or, quasars may not be located at the distances indicated by their redshifts, although this suggestion has previously been discredited.
Although these explanations are controversial, Hawkins plans to continue investigating the quasar mystery, and maybe solve a few other problems along the way.
Hawkins’ paper will be published in an upcoming issue of the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
MEASURING THE REDSHIFT, AND ASSUMING THE SPEED OF LIGHT IS A CONSTANT, HAVE BEEN KEYS TO DATING & MAPPING THE UNIVERSE.
IT MAY VERY WELL BE THAT THESE ASSUMPTIONS - AND THE BIG BANG THEORY - NEED TO BE ENTIRELY RETHOUGHT OUT.
Article says: ne of its implications is that events occurring in distant parts of the universe should appear to occur more slowly than events located closer to us ...
ReplyDeleteI say: What do I know, but I always thought the Red Shift was kind of like an optical illusion. For instance, one can hear the red shift when a car passes and goes away from us. When a car is coming towards us, it sounds and appears to be going faster, but we know it's not.
If the cars turn signals were flashing, they would not be flashing any more slowly as they were going away. The flashing is a time-dependent phenomena. The sound and appearance of speed are not time dependent, nor are they space-dependent. They are, instead, based on appearance.
Anyway, this is my observation. I am not a Physicist. So what do I know?
i know this: the big bang theory is just a theory with a lot of problems in it.
ReplyDeletebut atheists believe in ti as an act of faith.
yet the criticize folks who believe in G-D for the same reason..they are hypocrites.
becasue time is not a constant. one day physicists might actually prove the universe was created in 6 days.
dancing on the head of a pin ...
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