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Dark energy and flat Universe exposed by simple method
BBC News ^ | 11/24/10 | BBC

Posted on 11/24/2010 12:52:49 PM PST by NormsRevenge

Researchers have developed a simple technique that adds evidence to the theory that the Universe is flat.

Moreover, the method - developed by revisiting a 30-year-old idea - confirms that "dark energy" makes up nearly three-quarters of the Universe.

The research, published in Nature, uses existing data and relies on fewer assumptions than current approaches.

Author Christian Marinoni says the idea turns estimating the Universe's shape into "primary school" geometry.

While the idea of the Earth being flat preoccupied explorers centuries ago, the question of whether the Universe itself is flat remains a debatable topic.

The degree to which the Universe is curved has an effect on what astronomers see when they look into the cosmos.

A telescope on or near Earth may see an image of a celestial object differently from how the object actually looks, because the very fabric of space and time bends the light coming from it.

Christian Marinoni and Adeline Buzzi of the University of Provence have made use of this phenomenon in their technique.

...

Circular reasoning

The technique used in this study was first proposed in 1979 by researchers at the universities of Princeton and Berkeley in the US.

It relies on measuring the degree to which images of far-flung astronomical objects are a distortion of their real appearance. The authors originally suggested a spherical object would work.

(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: darkenergy; darkforce; darkmatter; exposed; flatuniverse; simplemethod; speedofdark; stringtheory
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Hold muh beer, Vern. I'm gonna take a measurement.
1 posted on 11/24/2010 12:52:52 PM PST by NormsRevenge
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“Once you measure the abundance of matter and energy in the Universe, you have direct information on its geometry; you can do geometry as we learn in primary school”

Christian Marinoni
University of Provence


2 posted on 11/24/2010 12:54:22 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed .. Monthly Donor Onboard .. Obama: Epic Fail or Bust!!!)
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To: NormsRevenge
... I guess "flat" needs to be explored in more detail.

I propose to start my investigation in Kansas.


3 posted on 11/24/2010 12:55:48 PM PST by r9etb
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Sloan Digital Sky Survey
http://www.sdss.org/


4 posted on 11/24/2010 12:55:48 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed .. Monthly Donor Onboard .. Obama: Epic Fail or Bust!!!)
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The 2.5-meter telescope at Apache Point Observatory, named the Sloan Foundation Telescope in recognition of the pivotal and generous support of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation through all phases of the SDSS. All SDSS imaging and spectroscopy were carried out with the Sloan Telescope, equipped with a large format digital camera and fiber-fed spectrographs that measured spectra of 640 objects at a time. These facilities, together with some new instruments, are also being used for SDSS-III. You can see the Sloan Telescope in action in this vid eo from the American Museum of Natural History. Credit: The Sloan Digital Sky Survey.


5 posted on 11/24/2010 12:57:10 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed .. Monthly Donor Onboard .. Obama: Epic Fail or Bust!!!)
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To: NormsRevenge

Isaiah 40:22 “[It is] he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof [are] as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:”

Psalm 104:2 “Who coverest [thyself] with light as [with] a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:”


6 posted on 11/24/2010 12:58:59 PM PST by prolusion
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To: NormsRevenge


A Buzzi
7 posted on 11/24/2010 1:01:30 PM PST by FroggyTheGremlim
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To: NormsRevenge
Alan Heavens, a theoretical astrophysicist at the University of Edinburgh, said that the strength of the result lies in that it requires few assumptions about the nature of the cosmos.

I guess he should know.

Still an article about a whole lot of nothing. The pick two different assumptions than others hold and get the same results. Still, garbage in, garbage out.

8 posted on 11/24/2010 1:06:31 PM PST by PhilosopherStone1000
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To: NormsRevenge

If dark matter really existed, we would have a prediction of its existence based on the laws of physics. Since there is no theory of dark matter, why pretend it exists?


9 posted on 11/24/2010 1:11:08 PM PST by Fractal Trader
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To: NormsRevenge

If the universe is flat, does it sit on the back of a turtle?


10 posted on 11/24/2010 1:23:42 PM PST by Cicero (Marcus Tullius.)
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To: r9etb

The Kansas State team was sure flat last night.


11 posted on 11/24/2010 1:26:01 PM PST by SeeSac
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To: NormsRevenge

Now we know where she came from............or went to.................

12 posted on 11/24/2010 1:28:02 PM PST by Red Badger (The House finally fell on Nancy Pelosi..........)
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To: NormsRevenge
the very fabric of space and time bends the light coming from it.

What type of fabric is space and time made of? Is it washable, or should it be dry cleaned?

13 posted on 11/24/2010 1:29:33 PM PST by GreenHornet
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To: Fractal Trader
If dark matter really existed, we would have a prediction of its existence based on the laws of physics.

The laws of physics are our mathematical guesses at how the universe works. They are not fixed since we do not know exactly how the universe works.

14 posted on 11/24/2010 1:31:19 PM PST by SeeSac
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To: NormsRevenge

They still don’t know, do they?


15 posted on 11/24/2010 1:36:35 PM PST by Leftism is Mentally Deranged (Annoying liberals is my goal. I will not be silenced.)
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To: NormsRevenge

My, my.


16 posted on 11/24/2010 1:38:37 PM PST by UCANSEE2 (Lame and ill-informed post)
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To: SeeSac

Though it´s a little like Fermi´s famous question with regard to ETs: ¨Where are they?¨

Why can´t we sample this ¨dark energy¨ directly as it´s supposed to be everywhere?


17 posted on 11/24/2010 1:44:07 PM PST by onedoug
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To: NormsRevenge; All

(Thanks for posting this article ,btw. Great topics)

What does DARK ANTI-MATTER look like? Can we see it, and if not, why the heck not?


18 posted on 11/24/2010 1:45:12 PM PST by UCANSEE2 (Lame and ill-informed post)
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To: onedoug
Why can´t we sample this ¨dark energy¨ directly as it´s supposed to be everywhere?

Just like we couldn't sample gamma rays 200 years ago or why we couldn't detect neutrino's a hundred years ago. They were everywhere and we didn't know it.

How many neutrinos do you see fly through your eyeballs each day?

19 posted on 11/24/2010 1:47:05 PM PST by SeeSac
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To: onedoug
Why can´t we sample this ¨dark energy¨ directly as it´s supposed to be everywhere?

Do you have a 'dark' hair-blower , or any 'dark' lights?

If not, then what do you need dark energy outlets for?

Is it the name that bothers you? Because we can call it 'magic pixie dust', if people will just quite demanding that scientists actually produce some.

20 posted on 11/24/2010 1:49:34 PM PST by UCANSEE2 (Lame and ill-informed post)
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