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Credit & Copyright: M. Norman
(UIUC) et al.,
Grand Challenge Cosmology Consortium
Explanation:
Is this our universe? Possibly. It is
one
computerized guess of how gas in the universe was distributed billions of years ago, at redshift 3,
when the universe was only a quarter of its present age.
Using supercomputers at the
National Center for
Supercomputing Applications and assumptions about the
composition and
beginning of the universe, the
GC3 team
was able to reconstruct a hypothetical universe.
A cube of this universe was cut out and displayed,
with each side being about 8 million light years across.
Color represents temperature of the hot gas.
At the bottom a single slice through this cube is displayed, with
helium
abundance superposed with a wire mesh.
The small structures appearing here give insight into the
past and present structure of the
intergalactic
medium, the matter inhabiting the regions between
galaxies and
clusters of galaxies.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: universe
Publications with words: universe
See also: