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The Aging Universe
Nov. 7th, 2012 03:45 pmMost of the stars that will ever exist have already been born, according to the most comprehensive survey of the age of the night sky.
An international team of astronomers used three telescopes — the UK Infrared Telescope and the Subaru Telescope, both in Hawaii, and Chile’s Very Large Telescope — to study trends in star formation, from the earliest days of the universe. Extrapolating their findings has revealed that half of all the stars that have ever existed were created between 9 and 11 billion years ago, with the other half created in the years since. That means that rate at which new stars are born has dropped off massively, to the extent that (if this trend continues) 95 percent of all the stars that this universe will ever see have already been born.
[...]
Unfortunately, then, it looks like our universe is running out of steam — in only a few more billion years, the study predicts, we may well be seeing the very last star that will ever be born. That’s if humans manage to survive that long, of course.
-- Ian Steadman, Wired UK
Don't fret, don't cry! We still have time to frolic and make love and go mad a thousand times and more, as much as our hearts can stand.
An international team of astronomers used three telescopes — the UK Infrared Telescope and the Subaru Telescope, both in Hawaii, and Chile’s Very Large Telescope — to study trends in star formation, from the earliest days of the universe. Extrapolating their findings has revealed that half of all the stars that have ever existed were created between 9 and 11 billion years ago, with the other half created in the years since. That means that rate at which new stars are born has dropped off massively, to the extent that (if this trend continues) 95 percent of all the stars that this universe will ever see have already been born.
[...]
Unfortunately, then, it looks like our universe is running out of steam — in only a few more billion years, the study predicts, we may well be seeing the very last star that will ever be born. That’s if humans manage to survive that long, of course.
-- Ian Steadman, Wired UK
Don't fret, don't cry! We still have time to frolic and make love and go mad a thousand times and more, as much as our hearts can stand.
