New Clues About the Nature of Dark Energy

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New Clues About the Nature of Dark Energy

Posted by michael on Monday February 23, 2004 @01:38AM from the spaced-out dept.

Jim Mansfield writes "With the Hubble space telescope no longer being serviced by NASA, it's good to see one of their hardest working and most famous satellites in the news again. According to their press release on the nature of dark energy, Einstein may have been right after all - and even if he turns out to have been wrong, it seems that dark energy is not going 'to cause an end to the universe any time soon' ... whew, that's a relief." See also a space.com story.

25 of 166 comments (clear)

I wouldn't worry by jeffkjo1 · 2004-02-23 01:40 · Score: 5, Funny

I wouldn't worry about the Hubble, it will just end up drifting off into space only to return 300 years later as H'ble, the super intelligent sentient telescope of the future, bent on destroying the human race.

Ok, so maybe there is reason to worry....
1. Re:I wouldn't worry by rknop · 2004-02-23 01:49 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Ok, so maybe there is reason to worry....
  
  Naah... because by then there will be a crew of people who a few years previously will have saved the world once a week for 26 weeks out of the year. We'll be in good hands.
  
  -Rob
2. Re:I wouldn't worry by DangerSteel · 2004-02-23 02:16 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Is that why we will have to go back in time to get a whale to talk to the evil telescope... no.. wait.... we will have to explain to it why we decided not to repair the telescope and give it an extended life.....dammit, I'm all confused now...
3. Re:I wouldn't worry by ThereIsNoSporkNeo · 2004-02-23 02:59 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  But... but... what if it falls in an off week?
  
  What if they've already used up all 26 of their "Rescue the Earth"s?
  
  Trapped in paranoia-
  
  --
  With my dying breath, I curse Zoidberg!
4. Re:I wouldn't worry by Anonymous Coward · 2004-02-23 03:36 · Score: 0, Funny
  
  >> Also, Hubble isn't written off yet -- there's still a chance that a shuttle might service it.
  Unfortunately, Hubble has about the same chance of getting serviced as I do.
  Bye bye, Hubble. We hardly knew ye ;>
May I just be the first by MikeDX · 2004-02-23 01:41 · Score: 1, Funny

To say the dark side of the force is much much more powerful than the light.

The Sith Lord awaits.
1. Re:May I just be the first by Patrik_AKA_RedX · 2004-02-23 02:14 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  No it's not. It's faster, more seductive. But it'll cost you your soul. Hmm, just like a Ferrari.
The restaurant at the end of the universe by dapyx · 2004-02-23 01:47 · Score: 4, Funny

..dark energy probably won't destroy the universe any sooner than about 30 billion years from now, say Hubble researchers.
The restaurant at the end of the universe must be really far...

--
I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is an imaginary number. Please rotate your phone 90 degrees and dial again.
1. Re:The restaurant at the end of the universe by Egekrusher2K · 2004-02-23 01:49 · Score: 1, Funny
  
  As always, you are wrong. The TRUE answer is 42.
  
  --
  Listen to my experimental-industrial-techno!
2. Re:The restaurant at the end of the universe by hesiod · 2004-02-23 06:44 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  > Time, distance, it's all space-time
  
  You should have said "it's all relative... generally."
Racists! by dapyx · 2004-02-23 01:50 · Score: 2, Funny

the dark energy probably won't destroy the universe any sooner than about 30 billion years These damned white scientists are racists: yesterday they said that a black hole destroyed a star, now this: the dark energy will destroy our universe!

--
I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is an imaginary number. Please rotate your phone 90 degrees and dial again.
That's one depressed satelite! by Reinout · 2004-02-23 01:53 · Score: 2, Funny

Poor, poor huble. Getting scrapped by Nasa. You can just see he's getting really depressed. He already has a black outlook on life, all that dark energy...

Well, it's his own fault now, giving us back such negative waves.

Reinout

--
Reinout van Rees
Never underestimate the power of the schwartz! by mikeophile · 2004-02-23 01:54 · Score: 3, Funny

Oh sorry, I thought the headline was New Clues About the Nature of Dark Helmet.
"Now you see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb!"
- Dark Helmet
1. Re:Never underestimate the power of the schwartz! by DarkHelmet · 2004-02-23 02:13 · Score: 0, Funny
  
  You already know that my schwartz is big.
  What else do you want to know, maybe Slashdot will interview me.
  
  --
  /^[A-Z0-9._%+-]+@[A-Z0-9.-]+\.[A-Z]{2,4}$/i
2. Re:Never underestimate the power of the schwartz! by Anonymous Coward · 2004-02-23 02:15 · Score: 1, Funny
  
  <Monty Python Nazi voice> That's not funny! </Monty Python Nazi voice>
Not with a whimper, but a "Big Rip"? by Anonymous Coward · 2004-02-23 02:02 · Score: 3, Funny

"And in the end of days, God shall eat Mexican food and several beers and ye verily shall His mighty thunder rend the Heavens."
The article you must read by pikkumyy · 2004-02-23 02:03 · Score: 2, Funny

It seems this "dark energy" is quicker, easier and more seductive.

I'd buy that for a dollar!
Everything's nonsense by Anonymous Coward · 2004-02-23 02:04 · Score: 1, Funny

The end of the unverse makes me depressive. Nothing that is eternal. No sense in building up things, inventing, scientific discoveries and everything. Just nonsense. Well, if you do not believe in god or are at least agnostic.

Well, back to my OSS/FS projects to gain fame in this dark world :)
Dark Matter? My god... by Channard · 2004-02-23 02:05 · Score: 1, Funny

.. it's full of Goths! I hereby dub the matter 'Mopotronium
Dark Matter conclusively identified... by Channard · 2004-02-23 02:12 · Score: 1, Funny

It's like regular matter, only it has a goatee. I thank yew.
Duh! by UncleBiggims · 2004-02-23 02:20 · Score: 4, Funny

I doesn't take an Einstein... oh wait. Nevermind.

Are you Corn Fed?
No info... by eclectic4 · 2004-02-23 02:21 · Score: 2, Funny

...in that article. I was hoping for a hint as to what dark energy is, but this article simply states possible changes in theory.

At the end it states, "Understanding dark energy and determining the universe's ultimate fate will require further observations." Well great. Didn't we know this already? *sheesh!* Thanks for "almost" nothing....

--

"The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance - it is the illusion of knowledge." - Daniel Boorstin
No, really? by TheGreatGraySkwid · 2004-02-23 02:24 · Score: 4, Funny

From the article:
"Riess' team uses Hubble to find stars that exploded when the universe was about half its present age. A certain type of these supernovas, as they are called, shine with a known brightness."

Supernovas, you say? Wow, what a fascinating new concept for readers of Space.com!

I mean, come on!

--
The Humblest Mollusk on the Net
Filling the blank? by cabazorro · 2004-02-23 02:28 · Score: 3, Funny

I get the feeling that we are trying to fill
a gap but with what???
Observer: Look at those galaxies..they are moving appart.
Braniac: Yes, that's because the big-bang long long time ago.
Observer: They look very old and they appear to move slower as they drift compared to the young galaxies.
Braniac: Of course, they are loosing momentum. But don't be deceived, at some point all universe is going to loose cohesion and become rippi-bits!
Observer: Howbout that cluster over-there? Those galaxies are quite old and they are driftin faster than the young ones! What gives??
Branica: Er ur..is dark energy pushing them appart, dark energy is spreading the galaxies.
Observer: And the big bang.
Braniac: yes, that too ..explosions and ever
present dark-energy.
Observer: Far out!
Braniac:(scratching her head and punching madly
at her calculator and giving a big sight of
frustration)yeah, riveting.

--
- these are not the droids you are looking for -
Indeed... by master_p · 2004-02-23 07:18 · Score: 2, Funny

C is the root of all evil!!!