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How can we see the past?

Updated: 9/26/2023
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7y ago

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Look at very distant objects. Although it is not a good idea to look directly at the sun (you can seriously damage your eyes), the light from the sun takes around 8 minutes to get to the earth. So you are looking at the sun as it was 8 minutes ago. Look at the nearest star (Proxima Centauri) and you are looking 4.24 years into the past.

Other objects that can be seen relatively easily with the naked eye, are the Andromeda Galaxy (2.25 million years), Triangulum Spiral Galaxy (2.78 million years).


Finally, the Hubble Space Telescope has spotted a galaxy which is 13.5 billion years light years away: that is, we see it as it was 13.5 billion years ago, or 9 billion years before the earth was formed!

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7y ago
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