Hidden Patterns in Galaxy Motions: What They Can Tell Us About the Universe with Rachel Bowyer

Galaxies move at hundreds of miles per second through space, yet they are so far away, that they appear stationary to us on Earth.  However, recent advancements in observing techniques have made it possible to observe the motion of hundreds of thousands of galaxies all across the sky.  These observations are revealing complex, streaming and swirling patterns in galaxy motions that are rich in information about our Universe’s formation and evolution.  Specifically, these motions can tell us about the formation of structure in the Universe and about primordial gravitational waves.  In this talk, Bowyer will discuss the emerging field of “real-time cosmology” and how patterns in galaxy motions can be used to study the early Universe.