CTIO observations suggest different galactic ages

Abstract

The first visiting astronomer to use the 4‐meter telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter‐American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile has reported finding that one of our nearest neighbor galaxies may be very much younger than the universe itself. Harvey Butcher of Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona explained that this discovery may cause difficulty for the generally held belief that all galaxies were formed at approximately the same period early in the history of the universe, that is, 10–15 billion years ago.Astronomers using the CTIO telescopes in the southern hemisphere can study many celestial objects, including the central region of our Milky Way galaxy, that cannot be observed from northern sites. Among the celestial objects visible from CTIO are the Magellanic Clouds, our closest galactic neighbors, which lie some 200,000 light years from the Milky Way. The Large Magellanic Cloud and its companion the Small Magellanic Cloud are two hazy areas in the sky discovered by Magellan's crew when they sailed far south on the historic voyage around the world between 1520 and 1522. The hazy areas subsequently were found to be galaxies.