Mysterious New 'Dark Flow' Discovered in Space

Space.com on Yahoo ^ | 9/23/08 | Clara Moskowitz

[NormsRevenge]

As if the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy weren't vexing enough, another baffling cosmic puzzle has been discovered.

Patches of matter in the universe seem to be moving at very high speeds and in a uniform direction that can't be explained by any of the known gravitational forces in the observable universe. Astronomers are calling the phenomenon "dark flow."

The stuff that's pulling this matter must be outside the observable universe, researchers conclude.

When scientists talk about the observable universe, they don't just mean as far out as the eye, or even the most powerful telescope, can see. In fact there's a fundamental limit to how much of the universe we could ever observe, no matter how advanced our visual instruments. The universe is thought to have formed about 13.7 billion years ago. So even if light started travelling toward us immediately after the Big Bang, the farthest it could ever get is 13.7 billion light-years in distance. There may be parts of the universe that are farther away (we can't know how big the whole universe is), but we can't see farther than light could travel over the entire age of the universe.

Mysterious motions

Scientists discovered the flow by studying some of the largest structures in the cosmos: giant clusters of galaxies. These clusters are conglomerations of about a thousand galaxies, as well as very hot gas which emits X-rays. By observing the interaction of the X-rays with the cosmic microwave background (CMB), which is leftover radiation from the Big Bang, scientists can study the movement of clusters.

[colinhester]

Bump for later.....C

[raygunfan]

hmmmm, wonder what it can be, eh?

[hinckley buzzard]

The stuff that's pulling this matter must be outside the observable universe, researchers conclude

Probably the same hardheaded researchers who scoff at intelligent design...

[robomatik]

particle accelerator rap stephen hawking rapping. it's a hoot!

[MarineBrat]

Dibs on it!

[wastedyears]

Space ping

[cizinec]

Extra-terrestrial Guinness.

[jongaltsr]

hmmmm, wonder what it can be, eh?
Old expression - Sh*t runs downhill?

[visualops]

The Nothing.

[Gondring]

...or anthropic principle.

[Raven6]

Naaahhh!! That’s Beck’s Dark!

[Red_Devil 232]

Hmmmmmm

[freedomcrusader]

So even if light started travelling toward us immediately after the Big Bang, the farthest it could ever get is 13.7 billion light-years in distance. There may be parts of the universe that are farther away...

The observable universe is approximately 93 billion light years across. Because space-time has been expanding, light has covered a much greater distance in 13.7 billion years than if the universe had not been expanding.

It is irritating that science writers rely more on leaps of logic than actual science.

[nuf said]

“we can’t know how big the whole universe is”

hmm, I thought we could make a pretty good guess at this. Somebody enlighten me.

[Centurion2000]

hmmmm, wonder what it can be, eh?

Sounds like a Type III civilization on the move.

[raygunfan]

how can they bother , or hope to study this if it is ‘outside the observable universe’?

[raygunfan]

are the also admittng that THERE IS SOMETHING OUTSIDE THE OBSERVABLE UNIVERSE????

[Zeddicus]

Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s Bush’s fault.

[listenhillary]

I’ve had the dark flow. I got better.

[6SJ7]

“we can’t know how big the whole universe is” hmm, I thought we could make a pretty good guess at this. Somebody enlighten me.

The universe is just big enough to contain everything, and no more.

[Kevmo]

another catastrophism type ping

[nuf said]

“Just go with the flow, Shel.”

“What flow? There isn’t any flow!”

[Swordmaker]

Orthodox Cosmologists at a loss to explain a flow found in the Universe... PING!

If you want on or off the Electric Universe Ping List, Freepmail me.

[Fred Nerks]

there’s some very dark flow going on right there...

[LucyT]

there’s some very dark flow going on right there...

No kidding...

[onedoug]

Bump for later. You bet!

[RandallFlagg]

Yeah.
Like Species 8472.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Kevmo and Swordmaker.

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[SunkenCiv]

[zeugma]

are the also admittng that THERE IS SOMETHING OUTSIDE THE OBSERVABLE UNIVERSE????

Nope. It's just hand-waving by a bunch of folk who have observed something they can't explain.

In earlier times, they'd have said it was "magic" or "witches". These days, it's "dark matter", and "dark energy".

Same old thing dressed up in modern language.

[Dustbunny]

Interesting !!

[onedoug]

Yet I think God would rather have us progress from witches to dark energy, and hence show that much appreciation of His ongoing.

[Quix]

THANKS FOR THE PINGS.

[Quix]

. . . .

—SIGNS AND WONDERS IN THE HEAVENS . . .

—AND THE HEAVENS SHALL BE ROLLED BACK, LIKE A SCROLL . . .

Hmmmmm

[Battle Hymn of the Republic]

"And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places."

God moved a corner of the scroll? Amazing time indeed!

[raygunfan]

aaaah, you caught my drift....

[bigheadfred]

Has anyone seen my sucking thing?

I WANT MY SUCKING THING!!!