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Chandra Provides Support For Dark Energy

starannihilator writes "The Chandra X-Ray Observatory has provided new evidence supporting the existence of dark energy, the force causing the acceleration of universal expansion. The new findings support the theory that the universe will expand forever, provided there is enough dark matter. CNN and Newsday are running the story, originally reported by NASA. Chandra's site has some good images and information on the three galaxies clusters studied (Abell 2029, MS2137.3-2353, and MS1137.5+6625)."

16 of 350 comments (clear)

  1. Dark matters by Allen+Zadr · · Score: 5, Funny

    I am eagerly awaiting the next annoncement where someone again finds evidence to refute the dark matter claims. It seems like the science; "Dark Matter is like this" - "No, it can't be, actually it's like that". Is not going to end soon.

    Join me. Come to the dark side, and together, we will expand the universe.

    --
    Kinetic stupidity has a new brand leader: Allen Zadr.
    1. Re:Dark matters by Jim+Starx · · Score: 4, Funny

      God made the universes expansion a sine wave just to piss scientists off.....

      --
      The darkness... controls the music. The music... controls the soul.
    2. Re:Dark matters by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      I knew this thread would end up at Hitler or Religion. Thanks for not picking Hitler.

    3. Re:Dark matters by Dashing+Leech · · Score: 3, Funny
      God made the universes expansion a sine wave just to piss scientists off.....

      Actually, a step function would more annoying to scientists -- no trends to follow. Plus it would be more consistent with religious beliefs, particularly if there is a step down function coming up.

  2. Hmm that name sounds familiar by Nuclear+Elephant · · Score: 4, Funny

    I dated a girl named Chanda once. Dark energy is a good way to describe her.

  3. perspective problem by WormholeFiend · · Score: 5, Funny

    how do we know if something outside the universe isnt affecting it.

    I'd like to think we live on an electron in orbit around the proton of a molecule as part of a giant coffee mug -- our universe is expanding due to some even bigger geek having just poured hot coffee in our universal mug.

    It's "dark" cuz that's how this geek likes his coffee.

    1. Re:perspective problem by WormholeFiend · · Score: 3, Funny

      So your friend theorizes that we live in a universe about nothing?

      Is he related to Jerry Seinfeld?

  4. Disappointment by carvalhao · · Score: 3, Funny

    What, no pictures of "dark matter"?! That I'd call an announcement!!

    :)
  5. the universe was expanding at the speed of light by Allen+Zadr · · Score: 4, Funny
    Don't you get your science from Monty Python movies. It was explained quite succinctly, in the Meaning of Life.

    Whenever life get's you down, Mrs. Brown
    and things seem hard and tough,
    and people are stupid, obnoxious or daft,
    and it feels that you've had quite enough---

    Just remember that your standing on a planet that's evolving,
    revolving at 900 miles per hour.

    It's orbiting at 19 miles per second, so it's reckoned,
    a sun that is the source of all our power.

    The sun, and you and me and all the stars that we can see
    are moving at a million miles a day,
    in an outer spiral arm at 40,000 miles an hour,
    in this galaxy we call the milky way.

    The galaxy itself contains 100 million stars,
    it's 40 thousand light years side-to-side.
    It bulges in the middle 30 thousand light years thick,
    but out by us it's just 3000 light years wide.
    We're 30 thousand light years from galactic central point,
    we go round every two hundred million years
    And our galaxy is only one of millions and billions
    in this amazing and expanding universe.

    Musical interlude

    The Universe itself keeps on expanding and expanding
    in all of the directions it can whizz.
    As fast as it can go, the speed of light, you know
    A million miles a minute and that's the fastest speed there is.
    So remember when your feeling very small and in-secure,
    how amazingly unlikely is your birth.
    And prey that there's intelligent life, somewhere out in space,
    'cause there's bugger-all down here on Earth.

    Attribution for the above lyrics to Eric Idle.

    --
    Kinetic stupidity has a new brand leader: Allen Zadr.
  6. Re:Dakr[sic] Matter by D-Cypell · · Score: 3, Funny

    I have a particle around here somewhere that I measured to find its precise speed was very slightly faster than c.... I would show it to you as proof but I cant seem to find it anywhere! ;o)

  7. Dark Energy was proven before by RoderickMcDougall · · Score: 4, Funny

    That was proved to me years ago when I met my housemates girlfriend. She was positively festering with it. She radiated me with it so much of it that I now have a latent ability to detect dark energy within a 5m radius.

  8. Welcome to Cosmology Update. by zenmojodaddy · · Score: 3, Funny

    From the Micro$oft school of cosmology. Take something ( a cosmological model ) that barely works, find out there's a yet another problem with it, and patch it ( with blather about dark matter ) in the hope that it works. Then find out that by introducing the patch to fix one problem, you find another ( er... what exactly is dark matter? Anyone? Please? )

    Hey, I rubbished Micro$oft and the whole of modern cosmology in one post. Cool.

  9. The relief by AmoebafromSweden · · Score: 3, Funny

    This is great news!

    >The new findings support the theory that the >universe will expand forever

    I was afraid that the universe would stop expanding and start collapsing and that would kill us all!

  10. Re:"Dark matter" != "Dark energy" by eclectus · · Score: 3, Funny

    Sure they are.... You know...

    (dark)E=(dark)m*c^2

    --
    This signature is a waste of 42 characters
  11. Re:"Dark matter" != "Dark energy" by Dashing+Leech · · Score: 4, Funny
    (dark)E=(dark)m*c^2

    That's not quite right, it should be:

    (dark)E = (dark)m * (dark)c^2

    where (dark)c is the "speed of dark", and we all know the speed of dark is faster than the speed of light. Therefore, (dark)c > (light)c and therefore dark matter holds more (dark) energy than normal matter hold in (light) energy.

  12. Re:"Dark matter" != "Dark energy" by bobbozzo · · Score: 4, Funny

    And how does (Dark)Helmet factor into this?

    --
    Nothing to see here; Move along.