Surprise Galaxies at the Edge of Observable Space

brindafella writes "A scientist at the Australian National University's Mount Stromlo & Siding Springs Observatories, Dr Paul Francis, has dicovered a string of galaxies 300 light years long, and further out than they 'should' be. The team were refused time on a US telescope because many American astronomers believed the observations were technically impossible. The findings have been presented at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Atlanta. 'We have detected 37 galaxies and one quasar in the string, but it probably contains many thousands of galaxies.' He said the galaxy string lay 10,800 million light-years away. See the animation here."

Comments

Hooray for the status quo...

[addie]

The team were refused time on a US telescope because many American astronomers believed the observations were technically impossible

This is just sad. I sometimes think we'd be centuries ahead in science if theorists could lay aside their egos and realize that hardly any theory lasts forever in its entirety. Refusing time to a group of astronomers who think they may have found something new is not so different from burning heretics who claimed the world was a sphere.

Maybe overdramatic, but my point stands.

Re: Hooray for the status quo...

[Black Parrot]

> > The team were refused time on a US telescope because many American astronomers believed the observations were technically impossible

> Refusing time to a group of astronomers who think they may have found something new is not so different from burning heretics who claimed the world was a sphere.

It's not like there are enough telescopes for everyone to get all the time they want. Sometimes a judgement call is required, and sometimes judgement calls are going to be wrong.

It's not like these people have been labeled heretics and refused time on any telescope. Otherwise we wouldn't be hearing these results.