NASA discovers there are fewer galaxies than previously thought, leaving the possibility that we are alone in the universe

A NASA mission discovered that there may be far fewer galaxies than initially believed, opening up the possibility that humanity is alone in the universe.

The New Horizons mission, which produced the first close-up photos of Pluto, provided enough data for scientists to determine that the number of galaxies is likely to number in the hundreds of billions, rather than 2 trillion. , as it was initially believed.

“That’s an important number to know – how many galaxies are there?” Lead author of the study, Marc Postman, said in a statement. “We just don’t see the light of 2 trillion galaxies.”

This artist’s illustration shows NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft in the Outer Solar System. In the background is the sun and a strip of light representing the zodiacal light, caused by sunlight reflecting off the dust. By traveling beyond the inner solar system and the light pollution that accompanies it, New Horizons was able to answer the question: how dark is space? At the bottom right are the background stars of the Milky Way. (Credit: Joe Olmsted)

NASA EYE PLUTO MISSION

The results, which were published and can be read here, stand in stark contrast to the long-used figure of 2 trillion, thanks to data from the Hubble Space Telescope. Scientists used a mathematical model to determine that 90% of the galaxies in the universe exceeded Hubble’s ability to see “visible light.”

Traveling at around 33,000 miles per hour, the $ 720 million New Horizons spacecraft, which launched in January 2006, will eventually reach interstellar space, like the Voyager probes before it. The fact that it is currently near the edge of the solar system allows it to see the ambient sky 10 times darker than Hubble’s point of view.

“These types of measurements are extremely difficult. A lot of people have tried to do this for a long time,” said study co-author Tod Lauer. “New Horizons has provided us with a vantage point to measure the cosmic optical background better than anyone has been able to.”

The New Horizons spacecraft is now 4.4 billion miles from Earth.

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“Take all the galaxies Hubble can see, double that number, and that’s what we see – but nothing more,” Lauer added.

NASA’s James Webb Telescope, whose launch has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, could help scientists learn more about the faint glow in the background of space and whether it they are dwarf galaxies or whatever.

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The New Horizons spacecraft has made a number of discoveries in recent memory, including the Arrokoth object, formerly known as Ultima Thule. In May 2019, New Horizons discovered water and organic molecules on Arrokoth, which is deep in the so-called Kuiper Belt, or Twilight Zone, well beyond Neptune’s orbit.