Key galaxy distance re-measured
Astronomers have updated one of their most important numbers.
It is the distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud, a close-by galaxy to our own Milky Way.
By studying a clutch of rare double stars in the LMC, the scientists were able to determine the separation to be 163,000 light-years.
The calculation is said to be very accurate. It is significant because the number is used to calibrate techniques that measure even larger distances.
The hope is the greater confidence will now lead to an improvement in our understanding of the expansion rate of the Universe which is described in a value astronomers refer to as the Hubble Constant.
“All other techniques are affected b..SEE LINK– http://alien-ufo-community.ning.com/forum/topics/key-galaxy-distance-re-measured
