Watch the Sky
Comments: 5
This is mind-boggling in every sense of the phrase (unless you happen to be an astronomer, I suppose, in which case it is work):
Biggest map of Universe clinches dark energy
Stuart Clark, New ScientistAstronomers have compiled the largest, most detailed map of the Universe so far and believe that it shows beyond doubt the presence of an all-pervading “dark energy” throughout the cosmos.
[…]
These results confirm that 70 per cent of the Universe is dark energy, 25 per cent traditional dark matter and just five per cent ordinary matter, such as makes up Earth and the stars.
Imagine! Just 5% is stuff you can touch. If you were a god, would you come up with a universe as interesting as ours? I’m not sure I could.
Must be a very great time to be an astronomer —
With dark energy observationally confirmed, theorists must now come up with an explanation of exactly what it is.
Time for a few stiff drinks and some theorising in astronomy circles, I’d say. Go to it, folks.
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Posted to Oh, the Humanity • 2003.10.29 (Wed) • 00:21
Comments
Posted by c.a. 2003.10.29, 03:13
Ordinary energy and matter are interchangeable. There’s even a useful formula for the procedure.
Posted by dowingba 2003.10.29, 03:29
So…0% is ordinary energy?
Posted by ben 2003.10.31, 09:29
I don’t care what the naysayers think. The universe will always be food for thought for humankind and that fact that factual discoveries are being made in our lifetime is so incredibly exciting.
Posted by ben 2003.10.31, 09:30
see what happens when two dogs are fighting at your feet while typing a blog response? All apologies for the “fact/factual” typo.
Posted by joh3n 2003.10.31, 09:33
To be fair, the SDSS galaxy survey was yet another piece of confirmation of the 5/25/70 % makeup. Recent maps of the Cosmic Microwave background have also given us evidence that those numbers are plausible, and the 5% ordinary matter number has been shown via other means earlier, along with the 25% and 70% numbers, all in independent measurements.
Needless to say, the fact that a different method gives the same results gives us some hope that the numbers are about right.
Too bad my PhD thesis is about the 5% bit, kinda deflates my ego.
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