The Universal Fudge Factor
Posted on 05/19/2011 3:02:45 PM PDT by decimon
First results from a major astronomical survey have confirmed the existence of mysterious dark energy using a cutting-edge technique.
Dark energy makes up some 74% of the Universe and its existence explains why the Universe appears to be expanding at an accelerating rate.
The finding was based on studies of more than 200,000 galaxies.
Scientists used two separate kinds of observation to provide an independent check on previous dark energy results.
Two papers by an international team of researchers have been accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society journal.
One type of observation used by the astronomers involves measuring a pattern in how galaxies are distributed in space. This pattern is known by the term "baryon acoustic oscillations".
The second type of observation involves measuring how quickly clusters of galaxies have formed over time. Both of these techniques confirmed the existence of dark energy and the acceleration in the expansion of the Universe.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
Wiggle zee energy ping.
That's RACIST!
This is one of those areas where I doubt anyone on Earth really knows what they are talking about.
I don’t care who you are, when you just ‘don’t know about what you don’t know’. There’s probably stuff going on ‘out there’ which we have no clue about.
Interesting theories though.
Sounds like dark bullshit to me.
I find the term dark energy troubling. It’s actually a form of energy not visible to humans. Our brains are wired to see only
A portion if the energy spectrum.
Hey.. we might just be ants compared to what’s out there, and if we are, I doubt anyone out there will bother to marvel at our advances.
Strikes me as complete humbug.
What long range observations can confirm is the existence of phenomena of the sort some physicists posit “dark energy” as a means of explaining, and, perhaps, the amount of “dark energy” such an explanation would require.
The problem is “dark energy” and “dark matter” are kludges, attempts to fix the failure of string theory on a background of general relativity to explain much of anything we actually observe and its ablity to explain lots of things we don’t observe. A correct theory of quantum gravity (or rather a correct theory of physics as a whole including gravity at the Plank scale) might well not need either “dark energy” or “dark matter” to explain the errant observations, as the aggregate effect of quantum corrections might well explain them.
My old boss, damn his soul, had it!
The Universal Fudge Factor
Me too.
...you cannot control it. This is a dangerous time for you, when you will be tempted by the Dark (Matter) Side of the Force....
See #10 ping...
Actually, the whole Modern Physics thing is completely counter intuitive.
It is typical for folks in the sciences to create a new element so that they can “balance the equation.”
That presumes that the equation (and theory) wasn’t flawed in the first place.
Until I see that math that can explain it, and more experiments and details on those experiments, I won’t buy it. Dark energy sounds like the 19th century aether.
Good analogy.
The Universal Fudge Factor
I think that bothers everyone. But it's what they have and what they have seems to work well enough.
That looks like what happened here.
They made models and when the observations didn’t fit their models, well hey, the models can’t be wrong so that proves there must be some kind of dark energy or matter.
Not good science
No that’s dark energy I can understand.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.