novapsyche: Sailor Moon rising into bright beams (Default)
novapsyche ([personal profile] novapsyche) wrote2002-12-26 04:43 pm

I like the new year's #1 mystery....

Space.com - Top 10 Space Mysteries for 2003

1. Dark Energy

Nobody knows what the heck it is, but it is officially repulsive. And man is it powerful! More powerful than gravity, even.

While gravity holds things together at the local level (and by local I mean within galaxies and even between them, forming galactic clusters) some unknown force is working behind the scenes and across the universe to pull everything apart. Scientists have only come to realize this dark force in recent years, by discovering that the universe is expanding at an ever-increasing pace.

Having no clue what it is, they've labeled it dark energy.

The past year was a good one for proving that dark energy is at work. Calculations have been refined: The repulsive force dominates the universe, comprising 65 percent of its makeup.

(Similarly unseen and exotic dark matter makes up 30 percent of the universe, leaving us with a universe that contains just 5 percent normal matter and energy [emph. added].)

Two curious ideas related to the accelerating expansion, both of which emerged in 2002: All galaxies are destined to become frozen in time or, perhaps, time never ends.

[identity profile] sulphuroxide.livejournal.com 2002-12-26 08:45 pm (UTC)(link)


its vaccumn energy, energy created in the void between galaxies, right?

[identity profile] novapsyche.livejournal.com 2002-12-26 09:35 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't know if that type of energy would be repulsive. (I'm a physics young'n, though, so don't take my word for it....)

[identity profile] kittenkissies.livejournal.com 2002-12-27 03:24 am (UTC)(link)
If the universe is 12 billion light years across, then is it only 12 billion years old?
I heard someone say, "beyond the universe, lies nothing". I agree.
Either that, or there is a giant curved wall, with huge light bulbs...

[identity profile] novapsyche.livejournal.com 2002-12-27 09:05 am (UTC)(link)
I think scientists estimate the age of the universe to be a bit older (15 billion light years, I believe). This is due to the fact that, for a while, there was no light. There was just heat and plasma.

[identity profile] novapsyche.livejournal.com 2002-12-27 09:06 am (UTC)(link)
Actually, I'm just speculating. Don't take my word for it.

[identity profile] nwmann.livejournal.com 2002-12-27 01:49 pm (UTC)(link)
maybe there is no dark energy within our universe but maybe our universe is surrounded by black hole material... super dense 3 dimensional hollow object that our universe is within and that force is ripping everything apart?