I'm sure most of you have already seen it but the good folks at NASA have just released the super-sexy "Hubble Ultra Deep Field" (taken by ACS) which peers all the way to the edge of the visible universe, making visible some of the first galaxies as they looked about 13 billion years ago.
This images, which shows nearly 10,000 galaxies (those really big things that contain billions of stars), like it's older brother the Hubble Deep Field, is actually a very tiny window in the sky, taking up about the same space as the area covered by Roosevelt's eye on a dime held at arms length.
The universe is a pretty big place. We're finally reaching the visible edge and it still feels really, really big.
update: absnath, in the comments, points to the latest from the ESO's VLT -- now they're really at the edge! Wow. Mind blowing.
Posted by asa at March 9, 2004 06:57 PMI can remember the fisrt time I saw the Deep Field. I don't think I ever felt such a visceral gasp at the profundity of something, as I did then. And to think it goes farther...
http://www.eso.org/outreach/press-rel/pr-2004/pr-04-04.html
Posted by: absnath on March 10, 2004 12:27 AMMan, I just downloaded the 61MB .JPG from
http://hubble.gsfc.nasa.gov/survey/hubbledev/newscenter/newsdesk/archive/releases/2004/07/image/a+warn.html
which is 6200 x 6200 pixels but I must say it worths is size, it is just great ! :)