Re:A Big Ring on the Sky
by stouset on Monday May 27, 2024 @03:03PM
(#40493611)
> But if you had 20+ stars arranged in a circle like that ring, no one would think it was a chance projection…
Of course we would? This is absolutely backwards.
A random plot of billions of points will have all sorts of coincidental shapes and clusterings. A uniform field might look more random but would actually demand explanation, as lacking those coincidental clusterings is strong evidence for structure.
And as I understand the topic, the scales involved preclude those galaxies physically interacting and being able to form structure. So they should appear randomly distributed.
Edit: To be clear I’m assuming my own ignorance here. I presume there is a reason this is significant, I just don’t understand it. But arguments like yours aren’t convincing to me because we should expect to see random structure, the same way a series of a billion coin flips is likely to have a giant run of alternating heads and tails.
Of course we would? This is absolutely backwards.
A random plot of billions of points will have all sorts of coincidental shapes and clusterings. A uniform field might look more random but would actually demand explanation, as lacking those coincidental clusterings is strong evidence for structure.
And as I understand the topic, the scales involved preclude those galaxies physically interacting and being able to form structure. So they should appear randomly distributed.
Edit: To be clear I’m assuming my own ignorance here. I presume there is a reason this is significant, I just don’t understand it. But arguments like yours aren’t convincing to me because we should expect to see random structure, the same way a series of a billion coin flips is likely to have a giant run of alternating heads and tails.