Astronomers have discovered a huge filament of hot gas bridging four galaxy clusters. At 10 times as massive as our galaxy, the thread could contain some of the Universe’s ‘missing’ matter, addressing a decades-long mystery.
A bridge, you say? Then we can cross to other galaxies! Our overpopulation problems are solved!
On a more serious note, I wonder how much this would increase our ability to cross the gulfs. Assuming we could eventually build machines that can endure for hundreds of thousands of years, would the presence of a gas bridge would make ramscoops a more viable intergalactic option?
The Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy is only 25,000 ly from Earth. Assuming constant acceleration, and sufficient technology to protect and keep things running for all that time - no mean feat - reaching a substantial percentage of light should make that reachable within a hundred or so thousand light years, even with a flip and slow-down halfway.
Seque 1 is only 75k ly.
Andromeda is much farther; I didn’t catch it in the article, but I got the impression the strands were identified between the more local clusters.
A bridge, you say? Then we can cross to other galaxies! Our overpopulation problems are solved!
On a more serious note, I wonder how much this would increase our ability to cross the gulfs. Assuming we could eventually build machines that can endure for hundreds of thousands of years, would the presence of a gas bridge would make ramscoops a more viable intergalactic option?
Stuff lasting that long? Capitalism will never allow it!
“This is Joe from Amazon Hyperdrives, I’m calling about your centennial warranty renewal.”
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The Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy is only 25,000 ly from Earth. Assuming constant acceleration, and sufficient technology to protect and keep things running for all that time - no mean feat - reaching a substantial percentage of light should make that reachable within a hundred or so thousand light years, even with a flip and slow-down halfway.
Seque 1 is only 75k ly.
Andromeda is much farther; I didn’t catch it in the article, but I got the impression the strands were identified between the more local clusters.
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Well, there go my vacation plans.
Wouldn’t the ship itself perceive a lot less of that time compared to an external point of reference?
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