Todays news

[seanjenkins]

Today in the news it stated that there is a dust cloud next to a galaxy that has been making stars.

The article stated that the dust cloud / galaxy is around 650million light years away, but also said that they could see stars that were only a couple of million years old.

Please explain, if an object is 650million light years away, will it not take 650million year for the light to travel to earth, if so, how can we see a star in that area that is only a couple of million years old.

Sean

[perrin6]

We are not seeing those stars as they are now but as they were 650 million years ago. At that time they were 2 million years old but the light they produced took 650 m years to reach us. It's mind boggling aint it !?!

[Luke]

Yes the light will take 650 million years to reach us.

Those stars must be 652 million years old then, but because the light takes 650 million years to reach us, we are seeing them how they looked when they were babies of just 2 million years old. Some of them might not even be there any more right now.

That's how I understand it anyway?

[seanjenkins]

Thanks fellas, so the stars in question are not 2 million years old, but 652 million years old. That makes it clearer.