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Top 10 Unsolved Space Mysteries

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the robert-stack-voiceovers dept.

Joe Jordan writes "Space.com is advertising the Top 10 Space Mysteries for 2003, and perhaps for all time, given the current rate of discovery." Some of them are obvious, like the origin of life, and the possibility of alien life forms, but the list is still a good compilation of space's greatest questions.

3 of 311 comments (clear)

  1. Limits of our intelligence? by dolphinuser · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I recently read in Discover magazine, that some astrophysicists are openly questioning whether we have the mental prowess to actually understand many of the mysteries in the universe.

    For analogy, they talked about Apes. While it is clear that an Ape has intelligence, we do not expect them to start solving differential calculus any time soon. Their intelligence can't even conceive that such a thing exists.

    Could it be, they asked, that perhaps some "secrets" of the universe are simply beyond our ability to even know what we don't know; and like the Apes, we are unable to even conceive their solutions?

    Food for thought,

    John

    --
    The drops of water don't know themselves to be a river; and yet the river flows.
  2. If we really wanted to, we could *know* easily. by io333 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The greatest question of all time is: "Are we alone?"

    That's really the other ultimate goal of space exploration, isn't it? (The first goal is to find us a new place to live after the earth is used up).

    But there is such a simple way to answer the question: Take all the cash we are using on rediculous stuff like the ISS and:

    BUILD A GIANT TELESCOPE IN SPACE OR ON THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON.

    And I mean BIG.

    One so Hugeomegagigantic that it can actually SEE the surface of extra solar earth sized planets in detail to pick out cities, roads, and lights.

    And then, if we saw with our own eyes that there was another civilization -- imagine the space program we'd start to have then. ...and yes I know the dark side of the moon isn't always dark, but we'd want to cut down on earthshine too probably.

  3. Astronomer's list by TMB · · Score: 5, Interesting

    As a professional astronomer, that list is quite different from what I'd give... here's my go:

    1. Dark matter - what the hell is it?
    2. Dark energy - what is it and why is it the strength it is? (#1 in the article)
    3. Short period gamma ray bursts - what the hell are they?
    4. Long period gamma ray bursts - what the hell are they?
    5. How prevalent is life and intelligent life in the universe? (#6 in the article)
    6. Star formation - what determines where and when it happens?
    7. Gravitational waves - can we detect them? what will they tell us?
    8. Was the universe reionized by stars or quasars, and when?
    9. How does solar activity couple to the Earth's climate?
    10. How does the feedback from stellar winds and supernovae into the interstellar medium affect it?

    [TMB]