New Cosmic Wrinkles

by Satanus 8 Replies latest social current

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  Satanus

  Scientifically speaking, the universe is supposed to be 73% dark energy. What's that, you say? Read on. It's from 'wired' magazine.

  Now we've got the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe. This superb gizmo, launched in June 2001, is floating 1 million miles from Earth in the second Lagrange Point, measuring the density of the universe with unheard-of digital accuracy and sending data back to mission control.

  the universe is flat. Forget all that mind-boggling space-time-is-curved stuff. Euclid was right all along. And the space-time pancake will expand infinitely. There's no such thing as an end to this particular universe.

  Everything we're made of or can measure - from atoms to energy - is only 4 percent of the whole shebang. The rest is dark matter (about 23 percent) and, best of all, dark energy (73 percent).

  They don't know what dark matter is, nor what dark energy is. It's almost unmeasurable. However ...

  This mysterious stuff pushes the universe apart. It forces the cosmos to expand.

  The bang never went away - in fact, our natural habitat is bang. Three-quarters of the universe is dedicated to pushing itself open. It's a gigantic heaving that has worked from the first primal instants and always will. It's the very nature of space to expand.

  http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.11/view.html?pg=4?tw=wn_tophead_5

  This naturally brings questions to mind: Is creation continuing? The bible said it stopped milleniums ago. Are there other alternate universes in the 'dark zone'? What is this mysterious dark energy/matter, is it really just dark to us? Could it be the fabled spirit world? Halloween is a good time to dip into the dark side

  SS
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  Sentinel

  SS,

  I like the way your mind works.
• 

  Valis

  Sentinel..yeah I estimate SaintSatan's brain is at least 73% dark energy..

  Sincerely,

  District Overbeer
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  Satanus

  Thanks, sent and val. Also, is the first stage of evolution from 'darkness' to 'light'?

  SS
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  Panda

  SS, I like your thinking and your post. Recently I watched a show about a SUPER black hole. The theory is that the magnetic energy which pulls the near cosmos towards the black hole may be responsible for the collection of elements to burst into energy and form stars. Pretty darn interesting universe!
• 

  DanTheMan

  Are there political implications to the idea that most of the universe is untouchable, endlessly expanding, scarcely knowable? Will we finally get over our obsession with static utopias, sudden armageddons, limits, and closure? Is there philosophical comfort to be found in a silent, never-ending steady bang?

  I don't know if there is any philosophical comfort to be found here. The meaning, symbol creating machine known as the human mind cannot cope with purposelessness. That is why I am so pessimistic about the future of our species. We've learned too much, we're collapsing under the weight of our knowledge. Hence the increasing fascism and fundamentalism.
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  Satanus

  Thanks, panda.

  Dan

  Pessimism is certainly one direction to go. There are other directions as well. For instance, that we are a species in it's infancy. We could grow along w the universe.

  SS
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  rocketman

  The whole dark matter, dark energy question is fascinating.
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  Sentinel

  It seems to be true, that for one to "find" light, they would have to "be" in the dark to notice it.