Discussion: 200,000 Quasars Confirm ...

[Fraser]

SUMMARY: An international team of astronomers have performed a robust survey of quasars to confirm a prediction from Albert Einstein about how gravity should magnify the light traveling from distant objects. The study showed how the light from 200,000 quasars is being tugged by the gravity of 13 million galaxies as it travels from the quasars to the Earth. The researchers used the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to uncover thousands of new quasars which could then fine-tune their observations.

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[John L]

This is an impressive result, and similar to what I do for a living. I'm an auditor (chartered accountant for those not in the US) and I sift through massive files of company data for specific transactions of interest, then determine their relationships (and hunt for fraud). It sounds like astronomers are finally taking the massive pools of electronic data and learning to sift them for the underlying issues like EGR and standard model tests.

Maybe I should become an astronomical auditor???

[antoniseb]

Originally posted by John L@Apr 26 2005, 06:25 PM
Maybe I should become an astronomical auditor???

That sounds like an idea with some merit. We might also need some astronomical actuaries.

[Hyginus]

Dear Fraser,
The article comprising the essence of this thread is perfectly illustrative of my opinion that astronomy has become theoretically muscle-bound[i.e. discovered facts are wrapped in opaque(to me)cocoons of explanation] I waded thru the full story without seeing an observational fact revealed in its ravishing silks, but only(to me, again)the suggestion that there's some sort of pattern in the distribution of quasars. Is there a map "freely" viewable that one(me, for the last time)might peruse at leisure without being qualified to enter, say, the Naval(sp?)Observatory?
Yr obt srvt Hyginus

[Fraser]

Well, you'd need to explore the SDSS archive data, although, I think it's freely available.

They're not saying that there's a pattern to the distribution of quasars, only that they were able to detect how light from those quasars was magnified by the gravity of various intervening galaxies.

[vet]

Originally posted by fraser@Apr 26 2005, 10:55 PM
Well, you'd need to explore the SDSS archive data, although, I think it's freely available.

They're not saying that there's a pattern to the distribution of quasars, only that they were able to detect how light from those quasars was magnified by the gravity of various intervening galaxies.

reminds me a chilhood bedroom, with those old imperfect window glass---capella would become 'magnified' in some areas, just as the distrortion of gravity 'lenses' quasars. but are we seeing space/time 'bent', or more accurately 'disorderd' by gravity's known link to positive entropy? then 'lensing' is defined as a result of 'gravity-dependent and regulated space/time disorder'---or one may simplify that---gravity and positive entropy are both properties of mass subject to calculation.

this gains importance when one considers silly things like 'life-spans'. a cursory search of 'thermodynamics of aging' should prove interesting. as the 9 year study to prove 'negative entropy'---'tendency to order'---

the abstract said this was not possible with large systems, but i'm stone-cold amazed Any negative entropy could be found in the deep, and certainly deadly, gravity/entropy well of earth. large sytems? as people? who knows.

so i would think of 'lensing' not as 'bending' space/time, rather displaying gravity-linked 'disorder' of space/time---very personal and different when viewed as a living thing. is this understandable? thanks

[vet]

Originally posted by John L@Apr 26 2005, 06:25 PM
This is an impressive result, and similar to what I do for a living. I'm an auditor (chartered accountant for those not in the US) and I sift through massive files of company data for specific transactions of interest, then determine their relationships (and hunt for fraud). It sounds like astronomers are finally taking the massive pools of electronic data and learning to sift them for the underlying issues like EGR and standard model tests.

Maybe I should become an astronomical auditor???

there are many areas where data is backed up years---put your resume' on-line, you'll get called---but i doubt the pay = to your present. you may get paid training to 'transpose' your skills to their needs, but who knows, Oxford might hire you. and pay well.

[Guest]

um.... whats a quaser

[GOURDHEAD]

um.... whats a quaser

Lookee here.

[Nick4]

This is kind of strange cuz i am doing a report on Albert Einstein in my english class right now.