Dark Mysteries of Our Mysterious Universe

Finally...an article on something substantive (meaning something other than desi politics or love). Let us see if we can keep religion out and deep thoughts about God out of it for now. Amen. And Hallelujah in advance.

ironman`s question is a good one - i think the speed indicated by the red shift is AS IT WAS 10-12 billion years ago when light first started its journey from these objects. But i stand ready to be educated.

i have another embarassingly basic question - is it a sheer coincidence that the universe is 13.5 billion years old, and the most distant object we can ``see`` is also about 13 billion light years away? And if it is, then clearly by now the most distant object we can ``see`` is in fact more than 26 billion light years away (assuming, like I understand current theory states) that the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate (like points on a baloon being inflated).

Another question: coming to the subject of this article, i understand that HVCs (High Velocity Clouds) that reside in the intergalactic space between our ``local`` galactic cluster in the universe (meaning the milky way plus its satellite galaxies like andromeda galaxy) are becoming increasingly interesting as being possible explanation of dark matter. any thoughts?

and, btw, it seems to me that the string theory (increasingly accepted as being the TOE that reconciles quantum theory with the relativity theory, and indeed extends our understanding of the universe beyond the four dimensions we perceive), also provide the underlying rationale for the concept of dark energy - since if everything we perceive is ultimately made of vibrating ``strings`` of energy, then it does not require much imagination to understand that the matter and energy are merely different representations of the same thingy (the little stringy, if i may be flippant about it)? what say you, gil sahib? or brother ironman??

Makes one wonder how a ‘unified theory’ would figure in the existence of God in its equations: Energy, Dark Energy or Anti-matter?

SOULKEEPER

Gill saab,

The central theme here seems to be discord in Einsteins theory as evidenced by extra speed of distant galaxies.

I have a basic question on this evidence. My understanding is that this galxay-speed is calculated by red-shift method which is dependent on analysis of light from these distant galaxies.

The most distant galaxies are in the 10-12 billion light years range.
So the light we analyse today started 10-12 billion year ago and the speed of the galaxy we calcuate is the speed 10-12 billion years ago.

How do the astro-physicists test astro-physics theories with such kind of un-realtime data?

How can they compare the expansion rate of a closer galaxy (say 5 billion LY away) with one that is 10 billion LY away and verify/disprove some theory?