<h2>Dark Energy</h2>
<p>Physicists have long assumed that the mysterious force they call dark energy was a constant. But now, strange new observations from quasars suggest that it could be getting stronger over time.</p>
<p>&#8220;We observed quasars back to just a billion years after the Big Bang, and found that the universe&#8217;s expansion rate up to the present day was faster than we expected,&#8221; University of Florence researcher Guido Risaliti said in a <a href="http://chandra.harvard.edu/press/19_releases/press_012919.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>. &#8220;This could mean dark energy is getting stronger as the cosmos grows older.&#8221;</p>
<h2>Quasars From Afar</h2>
<p>Risaliti and a colleague at Durham University laid out the provocative observations in a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-018-0657-z.epdf">new paper</a> published in the prestigious journal <em>Nature Astronomy. </em>The duo examined x-ray and ultraviolet data from telescopes pointed at nearly two thousand quasars, which are huge black holes that spit out epic beams of energy.</p>
<p>What they found was surprising. The new readings indicate that objects in the universe aren&#8217;t just moving farther apart, but are doing so at a quickening pace. According to the researchers, this suggests that dark energy is getting stronger as the universe ages.</p>
<h2>New Physics</h2>
<p>Risaliti thinks the implications are profound — and could herald a new understanding of the physics that explain the universe.</p>
<p>&#8220;Some scientists suggested that new physics might be needed to explain this discrepancy, including the possibility that dark energy is growing in strength,&#8221; Risaliti said in the same release. &#8220;Our new results agree with this suggestion.&#8221;</p>
<div>
<p><strong>READ MORE: </strong><a href="https://www.space.com/43166-dark-energy-increasing-time-quasars.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dark Energy Gets Weirder: Mysterious Force May Vary Over Time</a> [<em>Space</em>]</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><em><strong>More on the universe: </strong></em><a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/new-theory-universe-bubble-inflated-dark-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Theory: The Universe Is a Bubble, Inflated by Dark Energy</a></p>
</div>


"Some scientists suggested that new physics might be needed."

Bizarre new data suggests that dark energy is getting stronger

Weird Science

Strange new observations from distant quasars suggest that dark energy could be getting stronger as the universe gets older.

Bizarre New Data Suggests That Dark Energy Is Getting Stronger

It could mean that "dark energy is getting stronger as the cosmos grows older."

<h2>Dark Energy</h2>
<p>A mind-bending new theory claims to make sense not just of the expanding universe and extra dimensions, but string theory and dark energy as well.</p>
<p>According to the new model, <a href="https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.261301">proposed in the journal</a> <em>Physical Review Letters</em> by researchers from Uppsala University, the entire universe is riding on an expanding bubble in an &#8220;additional dimension&#8221; — which is being inflated by dark energy and which is home to strings that extend outwards from it and correspond to all the matter that it contains.</p>
<h2>Breaking It Down</h2>
<p>The paper is extraordinarily dense and theoretical. But the surprising new theory it lays out, its authors say, could provide new insights about the creation and ultimate destiny of the cosmos.</p>
<p>In the long view, though, physicists have suggested many outrageous models for the universe over the years — many of which we&#8217;ve <a href="https://futurism.com/dark-matter-product-gravitational-waves-twist">covered here at Futurism</a>. The reality: until a theory not only conforms to existing evidence but helps explain new findings, the road to a consensus will be long.</p>
<p><strong>READ MORE: </strong><a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/uu-oua122818.php">Our universe: An expanding bubble in an extra dimension</a> [Uppsala University]</p>
<p><em><strong>More on dark energy: </strong><a href="https://futurism.com/oxford-scientist-may-have-solved-mystery-dark-matter">An Oxford Scientist May Have Solved the Mystery of Dark Matter</a></em></p>


New theory: the universe is a bubble, inflated by dark energy

Mr. Universe

A mind-bending new theory claims to make sense not just of the expanding universe and extra dimensions, but string theory and dark energy as well.

New Theory: The Universe is a Bubble, Inflated by Dark Energy

And it's covered with strings that make up its matter.

<h2>Gazing Back</h2>
<p>The world&#8217;s most detailed 3D map of the universe will be here soon, thanks to new upgrades at Arizona&#8217;s Kitt Peak National Observatory.</p>
<p>The new component, called the <a href="https://www.desi.lbl.gov/">Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument</a> (DESI)<strong>,</strong> was installed Wednesday.</p>
<p>Pending further construction expected to finish in 2019, DESI will begin a <a href="https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2018/12/04/topping-off-a-telescope-with-new-tools-to-explore-dark-energy/">five-year sweep</a> of the night sky. It&#8217;ll measure how the universe has expanded over time and collect better data about dark energy, the mysterious force that makes up much of the universe and actively causes its expansion.</p>
<h2>Red Shift</h2>
<p>DESI&#8217;s sensors will investigate a phenomenon called red shift. Just like how an ambulance&#8217;s siren seems to change pitch as it passes you, light seems to shift frequencies depending on whether its source is moving towards or away from you.</p>
<p>As galaxies move away from terrestrial observatories, the tint of the light shifts towards the red side of the electromagnetic spectrum, depending on how fast they&#8217;re moving. Other tools <a href="https://futurism.com/scientist-can-now-detect-dark-matter-using-doppler-shifts">exploit the same phenomenon</a>, but DESI will do it best.</p>
<h2>Time Travel</h2>
<p>DESI will align 5,000 tiny fiber optic cables to pick up light from 35 million distant galaxies in high resolution. As dark energy&#8217;s constant shoving moves those galaxies move away, DESI will be pick up on just how fast they&#8217;re moving, giving scientists more precise measurements of dark energy&#8217;s impact on the universe than have ever been collected in the past.</p>
<p>Scientists will use those measurements to learn more about <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/giant-magellan-telescope-construction">how our universe developed</a>, as well as where it&#8217;s going in the future.</p>
<p><strong>READ MORE: </strong><a href="https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2018/12/04/topping-off-a-telescope-with-new-tools-to-explore-dark-energy/">Topping Off a Telescope with New Tools to Explore Dark Energy</a> [<em>Berkeley Lab News Center</em>]</p>
<p><strong><em>More on the unobservable universe:</em></strong> <strong><em><a href="https://futurism.com/oxford-scientist-may-have-solved-mystery-dark-matter">An Oxford Scientist May Have Solved the Mystery of Dark Matter</a></em></strong></p>


A look into the universe's past may tell us where we're going.

Telescope upgrade will create the most detailed map of the universe ever

Dark Energy

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument will provide the best measurements to date on dark energy's impact on the universe.

Telescope Upgrade Will Create the Most Detailed Map of the Universe Ever

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument will soon start to map one-third of the night sky.

<h2>Dark Matter</h2>
<p>One of the most galling mysteries in physics is that of dark matter and dark energy, the names given to the unknown material and energy that observations suggest permeate the universe, but that we can&#8217;t see. Scientists believe that together, these dark materials could account for up to 95 percent of the total mass in the universe.</p>
<p>Now, a researcher at the University of Oxford <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/mystery-of-dark-matter-may-have-been-solved-by-oxford-scientists-11572089">says a new theory</a> could explain all that &#8220;dark phenomena&#8221; — and it&#8217;s a mind-bender.</p>
<h2>Dark Fluid</h2>
<p>The research, <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/1712.07962">published in the journal</a> <em>Astronomy and Astrophysics</em>, suggests that dark matter and energy can both be explained if they&#8217;re treated as a &#8220;negative mass fluid.&#8221; Basically, this invisible fluid behaves the opposite way of all conventional materials: if you push it, it would accelerate toward you instead of away.</p>
<p>Jamie Farnes, the Oxford astrophysicist behind the new theory, created a computer model to explore how this dark fluid would affect the universe. He found that it could explain why galaxies hold together as they spin instead of flying apart — a tantalizing hint that his new model might solve existing astrophysical conundrums.</p>
<h2>Dark Materials</h2>
<p>In <a href="https://theconversation.com/bizarre-dark-fluid-with-negative-mass-could-dominate-the-universe-what-my-research-suggests-107922">an essay</a> for <em>The Conversation</em>, Farnes concedes that the negative mass theory could be incorrect — but also expresses hope that, if it&#8217;s borne out by future observations, it could provide a new model for explaining the mysteries of the cosmos.</p>
<p>&#8220;Despite these efforts, a negative mass cosmology could be wrong,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;The theory seems to provide answers to so many currently open questions that scientists will — quite rightly — be rather suspicious. However, it is often the out-of-the-box ideas that provide answers to longstanding problems. The strong accumulating evidence has now grown to the point that we must consider this unusual possibility.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>READ MORE: </strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/bizarre-dark-fluid-with-negative-mass-could-dominate-the-universe-what-my-research-suggests-107922">Bizarre ‘dark fluid’ with negative mass could dominate the universe – what my research suggests</a> [<em>The Conversation</em>]</p>
<p><strong><em>More on dark matter: </em></strong><a href="https://futurism.com/weigh-galaxy-dark-matter">A New Trick Lets Us Weigh The Galaxy. It’s The First Step Toward Figuring Out What It’s Made Of</a></p>


If you push a "negative mass," it would accelerate toward you instead of away.

An Oxford scientist may have solved the mystery of dark matter

Hard Science

A researcher at the University of Oxford says a new theory could explain the mystery of dark matter and dark energy — and it's a mind-bender.

An Oxford Scientist May Have Solved the Mystery of Dark Matter

And it's a mind-bender.

<p>We have <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/tiny-robots-can-clear-clogged-arteries-180955774/">nanobots that swim inside our bodies</a> and monitor our vital organs. We have <a href="https://futurism.com/world-first-woman-tumour-lung-removed-robot/">autonomous robots that work alongside human doctors</a> to perform complex surgeries. There are rovers driving across the surface of Mars and, as you read this, thee humans are orbiting high above you, living in the cold vacuum of space.</p>
<p>In many ways, it seems like we’re living in the future. But if you ask Neil deGrasse Tyson, it seems like we’re little more than infants trying to clutch sunbeams in our fists.</p>
<p><iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZILxIXwnUoY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>At the 2018 World Government Summit in Dubai, Tyson gave a presentation to an enraptured audience. The topic? How humans will — most definitely <i>not </i>— colonize Mars (Tyson, if you aren’t aware, is an eternal skeptic). It seems fitting then that, following his rather depressing speech, he took the time to discuss how humans are, in many ways, entirely ignorant.</p>
<p>Here are three things that, according to Tyson, show just how far we have to go:</p>
<h2>Dark Matter</h2>
<p>A portion of our universe is missing. A rather significant portion, in fact.<a href="https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/what-is-dark-energy"> Scientists estimate that less than 5% of our universe</a> is made up of ordinary matter (protons, neutrons, electrons, and all the things that make our bodies, our planet, and everything we’ve ever seen or touched). The rest of the matter in our universe? Well, we have no idea what it is.</p>
<p>“Dark matter is the longest standing unsolved problem in modern astrophysics,” Tyson said. He continued with a slightly exasperated sigh, “It has been with us for <i>eighty years</i>, and it’s high time we had a solution.” Yet, we aren’t exactly close.</p>
<p>The problem stems from the fact that dark matter doesn’t interact with electromagnetic radiation (aka light). We can only observe it because of its gravitational influence — say, by a galaxy spinning slower or faster than it should. However, there are a number of ongoing experiments that seek to detect dark matter, <a href="https://www.snolab.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">such as SNOLAB</a> and <a href="https://npac.pnnl.gov/projects/axion-dark-matter-experiment-admx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ADMX</a>, so answers may be on the horizon.</p>
<h2>Dark Energy</h2>
<p><a href="https://futurism.com/videos/watch-why-the-universe-needs-dark-energy/">Dark energy is</a>, perhaps, one of the most interesting scientific discoveries ever made. This is because it may hold the keys to the ultimate fate of our universe. Tyson explains it as “a pressure in the vacuum of space forcing the acceleration of the [expansion of] the universe.” Does that sound confusing? That’s probably because it is.</p>
<p>If you weren’t aware, all of space is expanding — the space between the galaxies, the space between the Earth and the Sun, the space between your eyes and your computer screen. Of course, this expansion is minimal. It’s so minimal that we don’t even notice it when we look at our local solar system. But on a cosmic scale, its impact is profound.</p>
<p>Because space is so vast, billions of light-years of space are expanding, causing many galaxies to fly away from us at unimaginable speeds. And if this flight continues, eventually the cosmos will be nothing more than a cold unendingly dark void. If it reverses, the universe will collapse in on itself in a Big Crunch.<br />
Unfortunately, we have absolutely no idea which will happen, as we have no clue what dark energy is.</p>
<h2>Abiogenesis</h2>
<p>We know a lot about how life evolved on Earth. About 3.5 billion years ago, the earliest forms of life emerged. These single-celled creatures dominated our planet for billions and<i> billions</i> of years. A little over 600 million years ago, the first multicellular organisms took up residence. <a href="https://www.nature.com/news/what-sparked-the-cambrian-explosion-1.19379" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Cambrian explosion followed </a>soon after and <b>*boom*</b> the fossil record was born. Just 500 million years ago, plants started taking to land. Animals soon followed, and here we are today.</p>
<p>However, Tyson is quick to point out that we don’t understand the most vital component of evolution — the beginning. “We still don’t know how we go from organic molecules to self-replicating life,” Tyson said, and he noted how unfortunate this is because “that is basically the origin of life as we know it.” The process is called abiogenesis. In non-scientific jargon, it deals with how life arises from nonliving matter. Although we have a number of hypotheses related to this process, we don’t have a comprehensive understanding or any evidence to support one.</p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p>There we have it. The biggest mysteries of the cosmos just happen to be some of the most important and fundamental. So, when <i>will </i>we finally figure out these scientific conundrums and move out of our infancy? Tyson refuses to make a prediction.</p>
<p>If there’s one thing he knows, it’s how very little humans actually know: “I’m not very good at predicting the future, and I’ve looked at other people’s predictions and seen how bad those are even among those that say ‘I am good.’ So I can tell you what I <i>want </i>to happen, but that’s different than what I think <i>will</i> happen.”</p>


If you ask him, it seems like we’re little more than infants trying to clutch sunbeams in our fists.

Neil deGrasse Tyson: we don't understand the most fundamental aspects of our universe

Neil deGrasse Tyson "Cosmic Collisions" Lecture

The astrophysicist discusses why for all its advancements, humankind still fails to grasp the fundamental aspects of our universe and of life.

Neil deGrasse Tyson: We Don't Understand the Most Fundamental Aspects of Our Universe

Humanity, it seems, has a lot to learn.

Neil deGrasse Tyson: We Don’t Understand the Most Fundamental Aspects of Our Universe

<h2>First To Fall</h2>
<p>In recent weeks we&#8217;ve heard how the Trump administration&#8217;s proposed NASA budget might affect the future of the agency&#8217;s projects. The <a href="https://futurism.com/trumps-budget-proposal-cuts-international-space-station-funding-2025/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">International Space Station</a> could be eyeing its last seven years in service; its funding will likely not be extended beyond the mid-2020s. Now, another NASA initiative is on the chopping block.</p>
<p>The new budget, if passed, will defund the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), a high-priority project by a blue-ribbon panel from the National Academy of Sciences in 2010. The telescope was set to launch in the next decade, helping astronomers in their quest to explore an expanding universe and unravel the mysteries behind dark energy.</p>
<p>NASA&#8217;s <a href="https://futurism.com/2-by-the-time-you-are-a-junior-in-college-what-you-learned-as-a-freshman-is-already-obsolete-nasa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acting administrator, Robert M. Lightfoot Jr.,</a> described the cut as &#8220;one hard decision,&#8221; according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/19/science/nasa-dark-energy-wfirst.html?emc=edit_nn_20180220&amp;nl=morning-briefing&amp;nlid=68072319&amp;te=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a report from the New York Times</a>. He stressed the need to reallocate the telescope&#8217;s funds — the project is set to cost more than $3 billion in total — into other areas of research.</p>
<p><iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LbJpVHMV1m4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>Astronomers have harshly criticized plans to nix WFIRST&#8217;s funding. A <a href="https://aas.org/media/press-releases/aas-officials-concerned-cancellation-wfirst" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement from the American Astronomical Society</a> suggested that NASA&#8217;s budget reductions could &#8220;cripple U.S. astronomy.&#8221;</p>
<p>“A handful of people within the bureaucracy” David Spergel, former chairman of the academy’s Space Study Board, told the <em>New York Times</em>, “have overturned decades of community-driven processes and tried to set the direction for space astronomy.”</p>
<p>Learning more about dark energy — a cosmological force that makes up 68 percent of the universe — could have a profound impact on our knowledge of how and why our universe is expanding. Scientists want to delve deeper into its intricacies, but need better tools to do so. That&#8217;s where WFIRST comes in.</p>
<p>WFIRST&#8217;s original mission timeline was pushed back because of <a href="https://futurism.com/james-webb-space-telescope-launch-delayed-to-2019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">delays to the James Webb Telescope</a> launch, which went well over budget. When it became clear that WFIRST wasn&#8217;t going to launch on schedule, NASA purchased a share of a <a href="https://futurism.com/new-probe-may-help-uncover-dark-matter/">spacecraft called Euclid</a>, a mission to explore dark energy spearheaded by the European Space Agency. But the Euclid mission isn&#8217;t expected to be as comprehensive as WFIRST, and NASA will have to rely on an outside agency for dark energy data. Without a wholly NASA-based mission, our nation&#8217;s dark energy research will suffer.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s no secret that the Trump administration wants NASA to focus on <a href="https://futurism.com/trump-signed-directive-send-us-astronauts-moon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sending astronauts to the Moon</a>  — but now it seems clear that prioritizing that kind of attention-grabbing program might come at the cost of other, perhaps more important, research.</p>
<p>Of course, there&#8217;s no guarantee that Congress will approve this budget in its current form. Despite the administration&#8217;s sweeping cuts and proposed reallocations, the clock has yet to strike midnight on the WFIRST mission.</p>


In a single fiscal stroke, the Trump Administration may have crippled NASA's efforts to explore our expanding universe.

NASA may stop trying to understand dark energy

Off World

NASA's WFIRST telescope was meant to give astronomers further insight into dark energy. Now, proposed budget cuts may kill off the project for good.

NASA May Stop Trying to Understand Dark Energy

NASA's budget reductions could "cripple U.S. astronomy."

<h2>Dark Energy Discovery</h2>
<p><a href="https://futurism.com/dark-energy-survey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dark Energy Survey (DES)</a> is an international, collaborative effort to map the Universe and detect its many phenomena — <a href="https://futurism.com/astronomers-have-uncovered-evidence-of-dynamical-dark-energy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">notably, dark energy and dark matter</a>. Recently, the DES discovered a remarkable set of intruders in the Milky Way: 11 new streams of stars that originate from outside of our galaxy. These &#8220;stellar streams&#8221; are made up of the star remnants of nearby star clusters or dwarf galaxies, which have been altered or destroyed by the gravity of the Milky Way.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re interested in these streams because they teach us about the formation and structure of the Milky Way and its dark matter halo,&#8221; said University of Chicago graduate student Nora Shipp in a statement, <a href="https://www.seeker.com/astronomy/dark-energy-survey-finds-new-stellar-streams-infiltrating-the-milky-way">as reported by </a><i><a href="https://www.seeker.com/astronomy/dark-energy-survey-finds-new-stellar-streams-infiltrating-the-milky-way">Seeker</a>. &#8220;</i>Stellar streams give us a snapshot of a larger galaxy being built out of smaller ones.&#8221;</p>
<figure id="attachment_120088" style="width: 696px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-120088 size-full" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2018/01/DES.jpg" alt="A portion of the sky mapped by the DES. Stellar streams are blue, yellow, and red ribbons. Image Credit: Dark Energy Survey" width="696" height="695" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">A portion of the sky mapped by the DES, with stellar streams appearing as blue, yellow, and red ribbons. Image Credit: Dark Energy Survey</figcaption></figure>
<p>This is especially true because the majority of the stellar streams were found in the Milky Way halo, which appears to be primarily comprised of dark matter. While you cannot see dark matter, astronomers can detect its <a href="https://futurism.com/videos/watch-why-the-universe-needs-dark-energy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gravity tugging on surrounding cosmic matter</a>.</p>
<p>Using one of the world&#8217;s most powerful cameras, alongside telescopic technology to image and record data from an enormous area, the DES is focused on further exploring and understanding dark matter and dark energy, which remains one of <a href="https://futurism.com/running-places-dark-matter-particles/">the universe&#8217;s biggest enigmas</a>. This recent discovery is particularly exciting in how it could expand this understanding.</p>
<h2>Alien Infiltration</h2>
<p>These alien ribbons of remnant stars are typically very difficult to find. Before these 11 were found, only 23 total had been previously identified. While there are about 1,000 to 10,000 main sequence stars in each stream, &#8220;In big picture terms, these are small numbers of stars compared to the total number of stars in the Milky Way halo,&#8221; Joan Najita, from the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), said in an interview with <i>Seeker. </i></p>
<p>Identifying and studying these streams can expand our knowledge of how the Milky Way was formed. Many think that our galaxy&#8217;s halo, made up of dark matter, globular star clusters, and gas, could have been largely made up of previous star streams that were gravitationally pulled from nearby galaxies.</p>
<figure id="attachment_120127" style="width: 1264px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img class="wp-image-120127 size-full" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2018/01/stellarstreams.jpg" alt="" width="1264" height="858" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">The full area of sky mapped by the Dark Energy Survey and the 11 newly discovered stellar streams. Four of the streams shown — ATLAS, Molonglo, Phoenix, and Tucana III — were previously known. Image Credit: Dark Energy Survey</figcaption></figure>
<p>Identifying and studying these streams can also allow scientists to <a href="https://futurism.com/new-explanation-dark-energy-tiny-fluctuations-time-space/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trace the distribution of dark matter</a>, locating where its powerful gravity have tugged on passing stellar matter.</p>
<p>And in the coming years, the completion of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) in Chile will allow astronomers to combine these technologies, imaging the universe in greater detail than ever before.</p>
<p>&#8220;In the 2020s, LSST will deliver a yet wider and deeper view of the Universe — from distant galaxies, to our Milky Way, down to the solar system,&#8221; said Adam Bolton, the associate director for the Community Science and Data Center at NOAO. He told <em>Seeker</em> that these capabilities will display the universe “not just as a still photo, but as a high-definition movie that will capture the rich variability of the sky.”</p>


The Dark Energy Survey has discovered the alien ribbons of remnant stars invading the Milky Way.

Dark energy survey discovers remnants of other galaxies within our own

The Dark Energy Survey recently found 11 new stellar streams, remnants of nearby star clusters or dwarf galaxies pulled by gravity into our galaxy.

Dark Energy Survey Spots "Stellar Streams" From Another Galaxy

Eleven stellar streams have been identified, largely in the Milky Way's halo. 

Dark Energy Survey Discovers Remnants of Other Galaxies Within Our Own

<p>Moments ago, the <a href="http://www.eso.org/public/announcements/ann17071/?lang">European Southern Observatory (ESO) announced</a> that they made a revolutionary discovery, one that they will be unveiling to the world on Monday (October 16th). According to the media advisory released today by the ESO, scientists have observed an astronomical phenomenon that has never been witnessed before.</p>
<p>Beyond that, no information is available regarding this most recent announcement.</p>
<figure style="width: 360px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://futurism.com/images/a-timeline-of-future-space-exploration-part-i-infographic/"><img src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2016/12/Homepage-Thumbnail-3-2-900x600.jpg" alt="A Timeline of Future Space Exploration: Part 1 [INFOGRAPHIC]" ></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text center"><strong><a href="https://futurism.com/images/a-timeline-of-future-space-exploration-part-i-infographic/" target="_blank">Click to View Full Infographic</a></figcaption></strong></figure>
<p>The last time that astronomers unveiled a groundbreaking discovery of this nature was when scientists working at LIGO (the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) detected gravitational waves. Ultimately, the find ushered us into a new era in astronomy, allowing us to see the universe as never before.</p>
<p>To clarify, before this detection, we were only able to perceive the cosmos through observations of electromagnetic radiation—through gamma rays, x-rays, visible light, and so on. Thanks to the LIGO discovery, we can now observe the very ripples of spacetime itself.</p>
<p>Remarkably, the waves were even powerful enough to break the Internet, <a href="https://twitter.com/PhysRevLett/status/697815592062074881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ffuturism.com%2Fnew-era-physics-gravitational-waves-finally-detected%2F">bringing down both the LIGO and American Physical Society websites</a>.</p>
<p>Of course, there are a number of mysteries that scientists have yet to explain in relation the origins and evolution of the cosmos. As such, it is difficult to pin down the specific nature of this observation—<a href="https://futurism.com/this-dark-energy-discovery-could-rewrite-physics/">perhaps scientists finally observed dark energy</a>, the mysterious force that is thought to make up approximately 73 percent of the universe, or perhaps it is a discovery that scientists never before fathomed. Stay tuned.</p>


A European Astronomical Observatory is announcing an "unprecedented discovery"

Scientists working at the observatory have witnessed an astronomical phenomenon that has never been seen before. The details will be released next week.

A European Astronomical Observatory is Announcing an “Unprecedented Discovery”

It's a groundbreaking astronomical phenomenon that has never been witnessed.

<h2>Baffling Matter in the Universe</h2>
<p>For several decades now, since Albert Einstein first posited his general theory of relativity, astronomers have come to understand that what we know and experience to be matter in the Universe is only a tiny fraction of what&#8217;s really out there. About 25 percent of the Universe is made up of so-called dark matter, while 68 to 75 percent is dark energy. Both sound like an evil villain&#8217;s secret plan for galactic conquest, and indeed they&#8217;re often used as such in science fiction.</p>
<p>The reality is, dark matter and dark energy are out there — although their mysterious nature has caused some to credit their existence to <a href="https://futurism.com/scientists-think-dark-energy-might-just-illusion/" target="_blank">an illusion</a>. Though both invisible, we actually see their effects in terms of how these interact with gravity. <a href="https://futurism.com/this-dark-energy-discovery-could-rewrite-physics/" target="_blank">Dark energy</a> is thought to be a mysterious force that <a href="https://futurism.com/videos/watch-why-the-universe-needs-dark-energy/" target="_blank">accelerates the expansion of the Universe</a> and is, therefore, considered to be a  cosmological constant according to Einstein — a vacuum energy that&#8217;s represented by a constant Equation of State (EoS) of -1, for the purposes of the study.</p>
<p>Now, a collaboration of astronomers, including those from the <a href="http://www.port.ac.uk/" target="_blank">University of Portsmouth&#8217;s</a> (UoP) <a href="http://www.icg.port.ac.uk/" target="_blank">Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation</a> (ICG), have found evidence that suggests that dark matter may have a dynamic nature. “Since its discovery at the end of last century, dark energy has been a riddle wrapped in an enigma,&#8221; ICG director Bob Nichol said in <a href="http://uopnews.port.ac.uk/2017/10/03/astronomers-reveal-evidence-of-dynamical-dark-energy/" target="_blank">a UoP press release</a>. &#8220;We are all desperate to gain some greater insight into its characteristics and origin. Such work helps us make progress in solving this 21st Century mystery.”</p>
<p><iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gzLM6ltw3l0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<h2>A Dynamic Energy</h2>
<p>According to their study, published in the journal <i><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-017-0216-z" target="_blank">Nature Astronomy</a></i>, evidence of dark energy&#8217;s dynamic nature comes from high-precision measurements of the Baryonic Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) — periodic fluctuations of a matter composed of protons and neutrons —  at multiple cosmic epochs. These measurements were taken in 2016 by a team that included the lead author of the new study, Gong-Bo Zhao from ICG and the National Astronomical Observatories of China. Combined with a new method which Zhao developed, the astronomers found evidence of dynamical dark energy at an undeniable degree of statistical certainty.</p>
<p>In short, instead of a constant vacuum, dark energy may be some form of dynamical field. “We are excited to see that current observations are able to probe the dynamics of dark energy at this level, and we hope that future observations will confirm what we see today,&#8221; Zhao said in the press release.</p>
<p>To confirm their findings, the team is depending on future astronomical surveys to be conducted by next-generation instruments. One of these is the <a href="http://desi.lbl.gov/" target="_blank">Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) survey</a>, which is slated to begin work on a 3D cosmic map in 2018. Aside from this, powerful instruments like the long-awaited <a href="https://futurism.com/james-webb-space-telescope-launch-delayed-to-2019/" target="_blank">James Webb Space Telescope</a> could also help to make observations that might shed light on the mysteries of dark energy.</p>


Dark energy might not be what we thought.

Astronomers have uncovered evidence of "dynamical dark energy"

Dark matter and dark energy are two of the greatest mysteries in the cosmos.

Astronomers Have Uncovered Evidence of “Dynamical Dark Energy”

The mysterious energy that drives the expansion of the universe may not be a constant. 

<h2><b></b>Dark Energy Survey</h2>
<p>Scientists have <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2143103-new-sky-survey-shows-that-dark-energy-may-one-day-tear-us-apart/" target="_blank">discovered a mismatch</a> between a map of the early universe and measurements of the universe today. If the disparity remains through future measurements, that difference could rewrite physics.</p>
<p>The recent results, part of the ongoing Dark Energy Survey (DES) of a huge portion of the southern sky, reveal how matter is distributed among 26 million galaxies. They also provide one of the clearest and most powerful images of our universe to date.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.darkenergysurvey.org/des-year-1-cosmology-results-papers/">The new data</a> is also being compared with images taken in 2013 with the Planck satellite, which <a href="http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Planck/Travelling_back_in_time">show the universe</a> as it once was. The comparison enables scientists to get an “in motion” sense of the universe as an evolving system, and to make predictions about the future. And while many astronomers think that <span class="wp-glossary wpg-tooltip" data-termid="59196" data-content="full" data-qtipstyle="dark">dark energy</span> is a <a href="https://futurism.com/videos/watch-why-the-universe-needs-dark-energy/">constant force</a>, these preliminary results seem to suggest that it might not be.</p>
<p>The Planck images showed that dark matter comprised 34 percent of the universe in its early days, but these new findings indicate that it currently makes up only 26 percent.</p>
<p>Understanding how matter is distributed helps us to know how dark energy and <span class="wp-glossary wpg-tooltip" data-termid="59194" data-content="full" data-qtipstyle="dark">dark matter</span> oppose each other in our universe. Dark energy pulls every galaxy apart as it causes the universe to accelerate; dark energy is the opposing force, physicists think, which pushes galaxies back together. If this is correct, dark matter (which scientists <a href="https://futurism.com/scientists-are-one-step-closer-to-finding-dark-matter/">are still searching for</a>) could be losing its cosmic battle to hold things together, changing physics as we know it.</p>
<figure id="attachment_94694" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="hoverZoomLink wp-image-94694 size-large" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2017/08/colorful-fractal-1200x675.png" alt="Image Credit: RedHeadsRule/Pixabay" width="1200" height="675" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Image Credit: RedHeadsRule/Pixabay</figcaption></figure>
<h2>An Uncertain Outcome</h2>
<p>The new results arose from the first observational season of the four-meter <a href="https://futurism.com/computer-algorithms-help-researchers-understand-dark-energy/" target="_blank">Victor M. Blanco Telescope</a>. The observational period for the DES lasted only six months, but has already produced this strange result. The survey with the Blanco telescope will continue for five years, yielding more and better data as time passes.</p>
<p>Astronomers are rightly reluctant to come to overly dramatic conclusions based solely upon these initial data. From a statistical perspective, the variation between the early universe and the current version is slight. The mismatch may also disappear with more data, indicating that one or both of the measurements was incorrect.</p>
<p>However, this isn&#8217;t the only disparity; for example, results from the South Pole Telescope also conflict with the Planck data.</p>
<p>Although the scientific community has been assuming that the universe would continue to expand while galaxies would remain glued together, this may be wrong. If dark energy continues to increase, it&#8217;s possible that one day galaxies and everything inside them — down to atoms themselves — could expand enough to be torn apart.</p>
<p>As unsettling as that thought is, this may be yet another fascinating anomaly about our universe, with context that changes as we continue scanning the skies.</p>


If a recent survey is correct, this means the universe could one day tear itself apart.

Is Dark Matter Losing its Battle With Dark Energy?

New results from the Dark Energy Survey reveal a discrepancy between data on the early universe and the current universe. This suggests that dark matter may be decreasing--and if it is, physics as we know it will be changed forever.

/Dark Energy

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