Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Observing the Unobservable: Could we use Mirrors to see Beyond the Edge of the Observable Universe?

The question runs a little something like this: Assuming that we were able to get mirrors to the edge of the observable universe instantly, and position them in such a way so that light from the other side was reflected back towards Earth, would this allow us to see objects in the unobservable universe? Since we could see the mirror, couldn"t we see light from the unobservable universe in the mirror?


For example, if the mirrors were placed there 3 years ago, would they reflect 3 light-years passed the edge of the observable universe? If they were placed there 13 billion years ago, could we see twice as far?


Find the answer at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/observing-the-unobservable-is-it-possible-to-put-mirrors-at-end-edge-of-the-observable-universe-in-order-to-see-whats-beyond/

Image source:
Andrew Z Colvin at wiki commons

Thanks to Raphaël Laflamme for sending us this question.

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