Fate of Universe revealed by galactic lens

BBC News ^ | 8/19/10 | Howard Falcon-Lang

[NormsRevenge]

A "galactic lens" has revealed that the Universe will probably expand forever.

Astronomers used the way that light from distant stars was distorted by a huge galactic cluster known as Abell 1689 to work out the amount of dark energy in the cosmos.

Dark energy is a mysterious force that speeds up the expansion of the Universe.

Understanding the distribution of this force revealed that the likely fate of the Universe was to keep on expanding.

It will eventually become a cold, dead wasteland, researchers say.

The study, conducted by an international team led by Professor Eric Jullo of Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, is published in the journal Science.

Dark energy makes up three-quarters of our Universe but is totally invisible. We only know it exists because of its effect on the expansion of the Universe.

[LomanBill]

[We only know it exists because of its effect on the expansion of the Universe.]

 

Uh, no... its existense is also hypothesized due to observed gravitational lensing attributed to dark matter.

 

Which reminds me of this one time when.... {ehem}

 

 

 

While we were there, Gumby ran his hypothesis regarding the missing dark mass/energy problem past the Professor...

 

Gumby thinks the discrepancy is due to an incomplete knowledge of space itself, related to variability of the “Classic Vacuum”.

If Space is to Energy as Energy is to Mass, then he suspects the observations attributed to “dark matter/energy” can be explained by presuming a localized density of space - where spatial distortion is equivalent to E. “Dark matter/energy” existing where E is locally sufficient to manifest the weak gravitational force (observable as gravitational lensing) but insufficient to manifest the strong forces required for the creation of matter.

If this is the case, then mass would be variable in proportion to the density of its spatial context.

G=M+E

IOW: Total Relative Gravity = Newtonian Gravity + Spatial Energy Density.

 

The Idea so affected the professor that he was unable to respond.
Gumby said it was like talking to a statue...
{badumpump}

 

 

[LomanBill]

>>only from the book “On the Beach” by Nevil Shute.

 

The Wasteland also appears in Apocalypse Now.... which, paradoxically, is based upon Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness".

Mr Kurtz, he freezing his arse off in a cold/dead universe.

 

The Horror....  unless.... Mr. Kurtz happened to believe in a reconciliation gracefuly provided by his Creator.

[LomanBill]

>>The Wasteland

SB: The Hollow Men.

What an interesting contextual slip between the... between the...

LOL.

[Moonman62]

Down worry, in a few weeks another group of boffins will find another astronomical feature and conclude that the Universe will collapse on itself in a few score billion years.

Would you like to make a wager?

[shibumi]

I also immediately thought of Eliot, but a different line:

"There is shadow under this red rock,
(Come in under the shadow of this red rock),
And I will show you something different from either
Your shadow at morning striding behind you
Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;
I will show you fear in a handful of dust.

[shibumi]

"And now, having learned that the Universe will end in cold, dead, lifelessness in say, 40 or 50 billion years, I'm totally bummed and I think I'll get drunk.

Try Eliot's favorite drink. Vodka with water.

Think about it while reading post #25.

[Moonman62]

It will eventually become a cold, dead wasteland, researchers say.

As far as ordinary matter is concerned, that could be true, but the vacuum is far from a dead wasteland. In fact it may be the substance from which new universes are made.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

LiM: Down worry, in a few weeks another group of boffins will find another astronomical feature and conclude that the Universe will collapse on itself in a few score billion years.

MM62: Would you like to make a wager?

Sure, as long as you allow me to define the terms "few", "boffins" and "conclude" ;)

[Condor51]

A "galactic lens" has revealed that the Universe will probably expand forever. ... It will eventually become a cold, dead wasteland, researchers say.

Harrumph! These 'researchers just found this out?

"Heck', The Who' knew this aver 40 years ago.

Teenage WASTELAND (Baba O'Reily) (you Tube with lyrics 4:58)

"They're all wasted"

[LomanBill]

>>Try Eliot's favorite drink. Vodka with water.

 

Heh.  I have a friend from the Ukraine who told me:  "Vee can make Wodka from anyting.   Vee can make Wodka from furniture".  

 

I think I'll stick with the water part mostly because...

Between the full glass
and the empty bottle

Between the euphoria

and the return to homeostasis, 

falls the hangover.

 

Been there did that...   ;-}

[LomanBill]

Bump+1

[GregoryFul]

But these same people say the entire universe was once nothing - and the big bang created everything from nothing... Explain that.

[LomanBill]

>>Explain that.

“Let there be light!”

[GregoryFul]

Ah, I see!

[Captain Rhino]

Thanks for the info on Eliot's favorite drink.

I'll have to decline as I like flavor along with the buzz: dark Indian rum and coke; gin, Rose's lime cordial, and panni; or CC & 7. Cold but no ice, thanks.

As for the lines you quoted, which of his poems are they from? What is your interpretation of the last line's meaning?

[shibumi]

Just got home from a hard day.

I’ve already written some commentary on that poem (as have a couple of thousand other people.) It’s The Waste Land, from the first section titled “Burial of the Dead.”

I’ll try to find the little bit I wrote, which was on those lines in particular, later tonight.

By the way, my mention of the drink was specifically because it leapt to mind when I read your comment “And now, having learned that the Universe will end in cold, dead, lifelessness...” Somehow the bland, flavorlessness of vodka with water seemed fitting.

[Stultis]

It will eventually become a cold, dead wasteland

So, several tens of billions of years hence, the whole universe will be kind of like Detroit?