General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: UFOs exist and everyone needs to adjust to that fact [View all]Blue_true
(31,261 posts)I am unsure whether it is the basal measure of speed in the universe(s). Recent activity to put more work into understanding neutrino physics will likely shed a lot of light (no pun) on the speed of light as the ultimate speed in the universe. There are a number of unanswered abnormalities about how fast neutrinos travel, understanding those better will almost certainly lead to doors that are not yet opened.
I stick to my stars in the galaxy number, about 100 billion smallish stars, 300 billion other stars. I have tea searched those numbers enough to be confident that I am not pulling them out of my behind.
You have mentioned the coming approach of the Andromeda. A couple of things. If the Big Bang is to be believed, how can two galaxies that are the same age, have an approximate 8x difference in star estimates? Also, will the two galaxies collide or will another mechanism happen that from a vast distance can look like a collision? I know you will say that scientists have observed galaxies colliding, in that case did they also observe release of collision energy (a given)? Even if a few stars collide, movement of galaxial arms should have been widespread and substantial energy release should have been and outcome. The solar nebulae theory opines that a precursor for formation of the sun and other stars near it was a collision between the Milky Way and a second galaxy billions of years ago. Of course we can't observe the remnants of that energy release because we are in the middle of it (if it in fact happened that way), but scientists looking at the remnants of two distant galaxies colliding should see the remnants of the energy released by that collision in a way that the remnants of a star exploding billions of years ago in a distant galaxy is visible today.