Saturday, August 17, 2024

The University of Chicago: verifying the Hubble constant since 1929

From New Webb Telescope data suggests our model of the universe may hold up after all , we read:

Freedman and her colleagues used the telescope to make measurements of ten nearby galaxies that provide a foundation for the measurement of the universe’s expansion rate.

To cross-check their results, they used three independent methods. The first uses a type of star known as a Cepheid variable star, which varies predictably in its brightness over time. The second method is known as the “Tip of the Red Giant Branch,” and uses the fact that low-mass stars reach a fixed upper limit to their brightnesses. The third, and newest, method employs a type of star called carbon stars, which have consistent colors and brightnesses in the near-infrared spectrum of light. The new analysis is the first to use all three methods simultaneously, within the same galaxies.

I feel like Tip of the Red Giant Branch would be an interesting place to go kayaking.

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