Light Echos reveal exploded stars

[sdcabq]

The LMC is 160,000 light years away. We therefore cannot see an explosion that happened 600 years ago or even the echo. Either the explosions were much closer to us and not in the LMC or someone is very wrong about the interpretation

 

[harmonicaman]

A LY (Light Year) is a distance measurement unit based on how far light travels in one year and I agree that it does make the discussion of distant celestial objects a bit confusing. <br /><br />When astronomers discuss things they observe on distant objects, such as the Large Magellanic Cloud, it is discussed in relative Earth time; just as the light actually reaches the Earth.<br /><br />Of course it is understood that all these events occurred around 160,000 years ago, but it just isn't practical to mention this on every breath. It is much simpler to talk about it in terms of what we see right now.<br /><br />Or you could say; the light we see coming from the LMC is 160,000 years old and we can see echoes of star explosions that occured some 160,600 years ago - that's just too cumbersome...

 

[bonzelite]

another way to visualize it is to think that people 700 years ago saw a star. people 600 years ago saw it explode. but it still may have taken around 160,000 years for the event to actually be seen on earth in the 1400's.