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An international team of astronomers discovered that the entire sky – perhaps the entire universe – was faintly shining at wavelengths invisible to the human eye. The breakthrough was made with ESO's very large telescope coupled with the MUSE instrument also on the bridge.
This spectral "glow" is called a Lyman-alpha emission. It comes from vast clouds of hydrogen as their electrons pass to a higher energy level. It's an established phenomenon – but we had no idea how big or how far it was. This blue you see all over the picture represents these shiny hydrogen clouds. His all over.
"Realizing that all the sky was shining in optics by looking at the Lyman-alpha emission emitted by the distant clouds of hydrogen was a surprise that literally opened the eyes," said Kasper Borello Schmidt, an astronomer of l & # 39; team.
The area of the sky that the researchers were examining had been mapped by the Hubble telescope in 2004, while the equipment had taken 11 days to train on a single set of coordinates. This prolonged observation uncovered thousands of previously invisible galaxies, but was technologically unable to reveal the Lyman-alpha emissions we see today. The MUSE instrument – Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer – has been able to further examine the surface of these galaxies through its ability to separate and record light in wavelengths for analysis.
As this light has to travel great distances to reach the Earth, today we see a window into the distant past that offers clues to the appearance of our universe in its infancy. The next step will be to take targeted measures with more sensitive equipment.
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in space and its frequency of precession – basically, a subatomic motion up to the strength of the magnetic field – is what is called the "hydrogen line". This radio frequency is located in a relatively silent area of the spectrum. this has been identified as the most likely frequency for establishing intergalactic communication. The most famous SETI signal has been discovered on the frequency of the hydrogen line and remains unexplained to this day.
It is not necessary to make contact with an extraterrestrial civilization to appreciate the wonders inherent to our universe. Themiya Nanayakkara, another researcher on the team, may have explained what she said: "The next time you observe the moonless sky and the stars, imagine the invisible glow of hydrogen: the first stone of the universe, illuminating the night sky. "
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