Space – Page 2 – Space Age

Delving into Dark Energy and Dark Matter

For the last six decades, scientists at NASA, the Russian Space Agency, and other renowned space research organizations around the world have expanded the knowledge of our universe by a monstrous margin. They have launched a full fleet of telescopes and satellites that have explored various galaxies, planets, and the farthest corners of the universe. As a result, what we considered as fiction 100 years ago is now a reality due to the discovery of new elements and the study of the evolution of the universe from the big bang to the present.

Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, the Spacecraft that Gave Our Universe its DOB

The cosmic microwave background is a record of the earliest version of the big bang. The dark ages are where the first stars and galaxies were formed. We must be ever grateful to the Wilkinson microwave anisotropy probe, which made this measurement and gave a coherent picture of the universe we see today. This probe was enabled astronomers and astrophysics to precisely date the age of the universe, which is 13.77 billion years old. Scientists were also able to understand that atoms only made 4.6% of the universe, with the remaining being dark matter and dark energy. The universe consists of regular matter, dark matter, and dark energy. Regular matter constitutes just 5%, consisting of atoms that make up stars, planets, humans, and every other visible object in the universe.

Galaxies, solar systems, and planets are held together by gravity, the universal binder; however, something doesn’t quite add up as galaxies are achieving something that defies gravity. Galaxies are rotating at such speed that the gravity generated by the observable matter doesn’t hold them together as they should have been torn apart long ago causing a cosmic catastrophe. This leads scientists to believe that something that is not observable is in play.

27% of the Universe is Dark Matter

We look up in the universe and see the effects of gravity, how it binds stars, planets, and galaxies together. Now, picture a simulation that lets you re-create the events in the history of the universe. Let’s add up all the comets, black holes, asteroids, stars, and everything we know about to account for the gravity we see. Now add dark matter, the extra gravity, Eureka, the universe becomes what we see. That’s why we know that dark matter is real; we don’t know what it is, but we know that it’s there because we cannot make the universe we see today unless the dark matter is added into the simulation as it perfectly matches with the gravity.

Particle physicists are convinced that there is an exotic particle that doesn’t interact with light, telescopes, or any other equipment but has gravity. These particles are invisible to us but are attracting matter into them and interacting with other elements in a unique and accelerated way. These exotic particles are known as dark matter, which forms the bulk of a galaxy’s mass and the foundation of the universe’s large-scale structure. The nature of dark matter is that it doesn’t emit, absorb, or reflect light, thereby making its presence invisible to the universe. However, its presence is known due to its gravitational pull on the visible matter in space.

Scientists theorize that dark matter could not be matter at all but the gravity from ordinary matter from a nearby other universe or multiverse whose gravitational influence we feel. Mind-blowing, isn’t it? However, there is no hard data of this, but there are theoretical, philosophical reasons to think that a multiverse exists. The first observation of the existence of dark matter was by the Chandra X-ray Telescope in 2007 when it observed the bullet cluster of galaxies.

68% of the Universe is Dark Energy

The Hubble Space Telescope observed very distant supernovae showed scientists that there was a time where the universe was expanding at a much slower rate than today. However, the expanding universe has not been slowing down but has accelerated by a significant margin. No scientist could rationally or theoretically explain this phenomenon, but they knew that something was causing this expansion. Scientists discovered a mysterious pressure in the vacuum of space acting opposite to the force of gravity. This pressure was coined as dark energy, a placeholder term to describe what was observed. No known force could stop or slow down the expansion of the universe.

In fact, in theory, space cannot accommodate or allow this rapid expansion of the universe as it might tear in an unimaginable way. Leading scientists and astrophysics are still baffled at this fact as they cannot explain the nature of dark energy. This energy is needed to measure the geometry of space with the total matter in the universe.

A Breakthrough that Could Re-define Our Understanding of the Universe

The universe is far from being fully understood, and there are numerous theories as to what dark matter and dark energy actually are. Scientists have been racking their brains about what these entities are. In recent times, new methods could detect these energies, thereby leading to a breakthrough in our understanding of the universe. In astrophysics, there is always a capacity to measure something, even if it is unknown to us. For instance, you could measure something falling to the ground by assessing its velocity but not know what the particle is. Likewise, we can measure the sun moving across the sky and build calendars based on that and not know that the Earth revolves around the Sun (This is what our early ancestors did).

Rebecca K Leane is an astroparticle physicist at the SLAC national accelerator laboratory at Stanford University. She believes that Jupiter is an ideal candidate to detect dark matter. It has a large surface area that enables it to capture more incoming particles than any other planet in the solar system.

Exoplanets can also be used to detect dark matter as it does not involve the use of new instruments. When the gravity of exoplanets captures dark matter, it travels to the planetary core to release its energy as heat. The more the dark matter is captured, the more it should heat up the atmosphere. This heat could be captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, an infrared telescope that is scheduled to launch in November 2021. This telescope is planned to succeed the Hubble and give rise to much larger discoveries that could re-shape the understanding of our universe.

Conclusion

With the launch of the James Webb telescope, scientists could observe various statists of galaxy evolution and compare these observations and analyze theories of the role that dark matter played in that process. In 2025, NASA is planning to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space telescope designed to unravel the secrets of dark matter and dark energy. It would enable scientists to image exoplanets, explore topics in infrared astrophysics. If this project is successful, it could pave the way to several groundbreaking scientific discoveries that could change the understanding of our existence in the universe!

The Moon, A Perfect Soulmate for Earth

Thousands of poems, millions of admirers, an object that lights up the lives of star-crossed lovers, the Moon. Have you ever wondered how this thing of beauty has had a profound impact on our lives? Oh, I am sure that a 4-billion-year-old relationship between our Earth and the Moon would redefine true love. Here is a wonderful story of how two planets that were meant to be, collided with each other and became entangled in the web of love. This collision was one reasons why our Earth transformed from a barren Hell into a paradise beaming with life.

Proto Earth, a barren planet

4.5 billion years ago, proto-Earth, which formed from the remnants of swirling gas and dust, revolved around infant Sun. The planet was a barren hell filled with lava due to the rise of hot magma from the planet’s mantle. The atmosphere comprised harmful gases erupting from volcanos, and there was no protection from asteroids and space debris. Several asteroids and debris hit young proto-Earth as they revolved around the newly formed Sun. For millions of years, our planet, which we now call home, remained lifeless and uninhabitable.

The collision that was meant to be

Around 4.5 to 4.6 billion years ago, a planet named Thea revolved around the young Sun, its orbit nearly along Proto-Earth. It was a planet the size of Mars and travelled at the speed of 4 km/second. Due to the gravitational influence of either Venus or Jupiter, it headed towards a collision with Proto-Earth. Thea struck Earth at a 45-degree angle, at the speed of 8,900 miles per hour. The collision resulted in the ejection of pieces of Proto-Earth and Thea. The Earth’s gravity slowly drew some particles. A huge chunk of rocks began slowly forming into a small planet by accumulating the remnants of the proto-planetary disc that had formed due to the collision. This small planet, the Moon, got tidally locked to the Earth and began revolving around it. This whole process would have taken a hundred million years to happen.

The collision between Thea and Proto-Earth had slightly tilted Earth’s position and stabilized its orbit around the Sun, thereby forming a perfect orbit in the habitable zone of the star. Before the collision, Earth was spinning faster with no probability of a stable atmosphere forming. The collision slowed down the Earth’s rotation and stabilized it further. If Thea had struck Earth head-on, it would have resulted in both planets being destroyed instantly, creating a short-lived asteroid belt between Venus and Mars. In January 2016, there was evidence that confirmed the presence of the same materials, which turned out to be Thea’s remains, found on both the Earth and the Moon.

The formation of the Moon and Alternate hypothesis

Lunar rock samples, retrieved from Apollo astronauts, had a startlingly similar composition to Earth’s crust. This confirms that the formation of the Moon was likely due to a violent event. The Moon’s formation from the resulting collision between Thea and the Earth is known as the Giant-Impact hypothesis, which is widely accepted by scientists today. However, let us look into three other hypotheses that existed from the beginning.

The first hypothesis describes that a single planet body split into Earth and Moon. The second one speculates that the Moon was captured by the Earth’s gravity, which was the case for most outer planets. The third hypothesis describes that the Moon’s origin formed from the remanets of the protoplanetary disk that accreted.

An inseparable bond that binds our life force

The Moon helps the Earth rotate in its axis and keep it in perfect orbit. Although most asteroids that are aimed close to the Earth’s orbit usually get caught by Jupiter’s massive gravity, some smaller asteroids land on the Moon. Without the Moon, there would be no environment for many coastal animals to survive as our oceans would have smaller tides, thereby preventing crabs, starfish, turtles, and snails from reproducing and surviving. The temperatures on Earth could vary erratically as the Earth’s axis would tilt by 45 degrees or more. There could be no tilt that could result in no seasons or a major tilt that could result in extreme seasons, perhaps an eternal ice age.

Without the Moon, the Earth’s rotation could slow down further, resulting in far shorter days and more days in a year. We must always celebrate the inseparable bond between the Moon and our Earth. Their strong relationship helps humans thrive. That fortunate collision has helped the Earth stay in perfect orbit and given birth to the evolution of the life we see today. Many scientists theorize that without the Moon, life on Earth may not have evolved as we know it. This is because the Earth would have had a far different orbit around the Sun, leaving it either too hot or far too cold for life to exist. Thea was a planet that sacrificed itself to give us life. It is this 4-billion-year-old relationship between these two lovebirds that helps us evolve and thrive on this planet.

Galaxies: A Home to The Stars

Did you know that there are more than 200 billion stars in our milky way galaxy? Not just that, it has enough gas to create a few million stars. Every galaxy in our universe is special as it is the home to billions of stars and a few black holes as well. Most galaxies are home to several million earth like planets which are in the habitable zone of their home star. This means that there are over a billion possibilities that we are not the only living beings in the universe.

They come In All Shapes and Sizes

Yes you read it right, all galaxies are not elliptical and boring. They come in varied shapes and sizes. In our observable universe, there are three main types of galaxies which include elliptical, spiral, and irregular. Elliptical galaxies are shaped like a spheroid or an elliptical sphere. On the other hand, spiral galaxies are much spectacular to watch as they appear like a bulged disc with two or more discs which appear like arms. Irregular galaxies have a very haphazard shape and comprise of a lot of star dust and gas.

Our galaxy, the milky way, is a spiral galaxy and we are located at the edge of it. Older stars are clustered at the center of the galaxy and younger ones are spread out. We do not know how many discs our galaxy has because we are inside it and we can’t look at it from a third person view. Neither are we technologically advanced to construct a space probe which can leave our galaxy and take pictures of it.

What’s at Its Center?

The center of our galaxy, the milky way, will appear to remain very bright as there are a cluster of stars present there. According to observations, there is a super massive black hole at the center of our galaxy. This black hole is over four million times the mass of our sun. Scientists theorize that there are super massive black holes at the center of most galaxies. Wheres some speculate that there could be star clusters which are far denser than the ones in nearby irregular galaxies.

How Many Are There In Our Universe?

In the observable universe, there are around 100 billion galaxies. Yes, that is a mammoth number folks. This means that there are several galaxies which are home to harbor life, thereby making it over 1000 billion which are very similar to our earth.

The Milky Way Andromeda Collision

The Andromeda galaxy is a large galaxy which is home to 1 trillion stars, whereas our milky way has only 300 million stars. This is the size difference between these two galaxies.

In about 4 billion years from now, the Andromeda galaxy will collide with our milky way and merge together to form a new galaxy known as Milkdromedia. 3.4 billion years from now, we will be able to view the Andromeda galaxy up close and personal. And trust me, that will be one of the most spectacular sights you could ask for. The collision of these two galaxies will be an absolute spectacle.

Space time – Simplified

Understanding space time is the key to learn everything we know of our universe. Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity digs deeper into space time as it gives us a perspective about time dilation, speed of light, theory of general relativity, and the laws of physics.

Its Origin

Space and time were created during the big bang. When the universe was young, just after the big bang, space time was just a tiny bubble. Just after the big explosion, there was an instant inflation which forced the universe to expand. The universe is currently expanding at a rapid rate. Scientists believe that the expansion of the universe is so fast that it could easily surpass the speed of light. This is also known as space-time inflation.

This sudden expansion of the universe is something which has baffled astrophysicists. The expansion of space-time occurred about 10^-23seconds after the big bang. This happened so instantly that the speed of the expansion remains unknown till date. The laws of physics state that, no object of mass can move through the universe at the speed of light. However, the inflation of space itself doesn’t contradict the law as space doesn’t have mass.

So What is it About Einstein’s Theory of Relativity?

Einstein’s theory of general relativity discusses about the curvature of space-time. It clearly describes the geometry of space. Before Einstein, we believed that the universe obeyed Euclidean geometry. Which states that in the universe, parallel lines do not intersect and the sum of the angles of a triangle is 180 degrees. This means that we perceived the universe to be a single plane of existence where space and time cannot be bent or traversed.

However, this is not the case. As a Euclidean universe would only comprise of static objects of same mass. Albert Einstein’s theory states that the universe follows non-euclidean geometry where the angles don’t sum to 180 degrees and parallel lines can cross, intersect or diverge.

Space-time Curvature

Picture the universe as a piece of paper or cloth. Let’s say that you place an object of considerable mas on it. When you do so, the piece of cloth or paper will bend to support the mass of the object. Well! This is how space-time works. Gravity plays a vital role in this aspect as it is responsible to bend space and time. Without gravity, objects remain static and space time cannot curve. Space-time can bend, wrap, or curve depending on the matter inside and the force of gravity acting on it.

Time Dilation

The faster you go, the slower time appears to you. This is a simple explanation for time dilation.

Let’s say you embark on a journey to a nearby star which is about 2.5 light years away from the earth. Picture yourself traveling in a spacecraft at 50% the speed of light. You will reach the star in about five years. You carry our the mission and return back to earth. Now, the total time passed from your perspective will be 10 years. Well! Here’s the twist. When you reach earth, you will notice that more than 15 years have passed. In your time, you would have traveled so fast that the time on earth would appear to move slow. However, in reality, the time on earth will move at its normal pace. The crux of time dilation is that the faster you move through space, the slower your move through time. Therefore, you would appear to be younger than the people on earth.

Space-time manipulation

This topic of discussion is solely a product of science fiction. With current technology, we cannot find a possible way to manipulate space-time. However, a time may come, where we could develop to an extent that time manipulation becomes child’s play. Here are some ways to do it.

Time Machine- With a time machine, you can travel to the past, present, or future. This gives you complete control of time. According to science, you can only travel to the future and not to the past. As traveling to the past would require you to spin the earth anticlockwise, which is an impossible feat.

Traveling faster than the speed of light- This theory boils down to the creation of the universe. The big bang led to the expansion of space and time way beyond the speed of light. If we could figure out how to create another big bang, we could easily manipulate, space, time, and matter.

Wormholes- Wormholes can provide a passage through space-time. But don’t get all high as we are yet to discover them. If so, we can travel through various planes of existence and perhaps visit other galaxies or maybe even a parallel universe.

Black Holes: What are They?

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of black holes? You may be thinking, all right, they are giant holes in space which can devour planets. Well you are right, but what if I told you that black holes are far more powerful than you can imagine. Read on to know more about these amazing extra terrestrial vacuum cleaners.

Stars have a lifespan of about 10 billion years (1000 crore years). Once they reach the end of their lifespan, they will turn into a red giant and burn on reserve fuel. For medium sized stars such as our sun, the end of this phase will result in the formation of a planetary nebula which results in the formation of a white dwarf. However, in the case of stars which are more than 15 times the mass of our sun, they will collapse under their own gravity thereby causing a massive explosion. This explosion is known as a supernova. During the explosion, a rip in space time will occur thereby creating a hole. Only if a star which is 25 times the mass of our sun goes supernova, a black hole will form, as smaller explosions do not contain enough energy to damage space time.

Once the black hole is formed, every planet within its vicinity will be sucked into it. It is like a devastating whirlpool. Black holes are so powerful that even light cannot escape it. This is the reason why black holes are so dark.

Recent News

There have been numerous photos of black holes which are just artist impressions. However, on April 10 2019, a group of scientists at Event Horizon Telescope Observatory have captured the first ever image of a black hole. This is truly a remarkable achievement for humanity.

Even Horizon: What’s on The Other Side?

The event horizon is a point after which light cannot reach our eyes. Since black holes are so powerful that even light cannot escape them, you simply cannot see the what is on the other side. Picture a spacecraft falling into a black hole. The moment it crosses the event horizon, the spacecraft will appear to remain in free fall. However, in reality, the object would have already got sucked into the hole faster than the speed of light, thereby leaving an image of its last location. Yes, this is no optical illusion, its science.

When there is a rip or damage in space time, a singularity occurs. Picture an area of space where there is no gravity, no light, and that the laws of physics do not work. Yes you guessed it, this is a singularity. What happens when you divide a number with zero? The answer is infinite or indefinite right. This is the mathematical explanation for a singularity.

Does Nothing Really Escape it?

So, you may be wondering, if black holes are so powerful then nothing could really escape it right. Hmm, you are partially correct. No object of considerable mass can escape it, however, some amount of radiation can escape it.

At the event horizon, the black hole will capture one pair of particle-antiparticle matter. This causes an electromagnetic radiation which leaves the vicinity of a black hole. This electromagnetic radiation is known as Hawking radiation as it was the theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking who came up with this amazing theory.

Myths About Black Holes

There are several myths about black holes that are derived from science fiction movies. Here are some common myths.

Myth 1: The volume of a black hole is huge.

Fact: Black holes have varied mass, they are classified as small, massive and supermassive.

Myth 2: If you get sucked into a black hole you will travel to another dimension.

Fact: You seem to be strongly influenced by the movie interstellar. In reality, a black hole can literally vaporize a star which has a far greater mass than the sun even before it reaches the event horizon. So, just imagine what it could do to your body. Moreover, black holes do not lead to wormholes. Wormholes exist in theory but are not proven.

Myth 3: Our sun will eventually become a black hole.

Fact: Our sun does not have sufficient mass to go supernova let alone create a singularity.

Evolution of Humanity as a Civilization

Bucker up! lets take a journey into the future and see how high we can rise as humanity.

We as humans, have the capability of doing the impossible. Just read on to know how well we can adapt to change and develop as a civilization.

Planetary Civilization

World peace is the first step to develop as a civilization. We need to look out for each other, destroy corruption, and spend our resources wisely. This will help us reach great heights. If everything goes as planned, we can strengthen broken bonds and evolve as humanity.

By the year 2070, we will remain independent of fossil fuels. We would have come up with alternate fuels such as electricity, solar, or nuclear power.

We can gain control over nature. For instance, we can control the tides by using advanced oceanic equipment. Thereby prevent tsunamis. Highly advanced weather trigger systems can help us control the movement of earth’s plates by preventing earthquakes and volcanic activity.

Better yet, we can trigger a natural disaster and create shields which are powerful enough to filter UV rays and small asteroids. We will never be dependent on one source of energy and will have access to many. Large solar panels could be built to extract sun light that reaches the earth. In this manner, we will never be deprived of energy. Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku speculates that we will become a planetary civilization by the year 2100.

Stellar Civilization

Stellar refers to Star. This civilization will be capable of extracting all the energy from its parent star, in our case, its the sun. It will take a lot of time and technological aid to reach this level.

A Stellar civilization can build a Dyson Sphere around its parent star and extract the energy emitted from it. A Dyson sphere is a huge sphere which encompasses the sun. The inner side of the sphere contains a lot of solar extractors which are similar to solar panels. This sphere will be linked to a nearby planet which can store energy in strong equipment that is powerful enough to contain this energy. The concept of a Dyson sphere was proposed by Freeman Dyson, a British-American Theoretical physicist.

The energy extracted by the sphere can be combined with uranium to create powerful fuel. We can construct rockets which run on this newly created fuel. The speed of this rocket will be powerful enough to propel you at 50% the speed of light. In this manner, we can travel to nearby stars. (interstellar travel)

A stellar civilization can colonize itself in other planets, form an interplanetary constitution, and form laws which are common to a whole planet.

This type of civilization can avoid a major meteor collision by altering the magnetic field of its home planet by using advanced gravity inducing electromagnets. It can also construct powerful weapons which are capable of destroying a whole planet in a single strike.

A stellar civilization can control the orbit of other planets. It is considered to be a virtually indestructible civilization which can only be destroyed if a supernova explodes or a civilization more advanced than theirs attacks them.

This civilization can control every planet in its vicinity, mine extraterrestrial minerals, and use them effectively. Scientists say that We can reach this level by the year 4,500 or 5,000 AD. It may also be sooner or later depending on how fast we evolve.

Galactic Civilization

A galactic civilization can control the entire energy of its host galaxy, in our case, its the milky way.

At this point, humans would have evolved to such an extent that our brains cells would have increased to over a million folds. We will be able to adapt to change and calculate faster than a super computer. Our bodies will have the ability to change its orientation to adapt to new planets.

A galactic civilization will make interstellar travel seem like child’s play. It can literally colonize the entire galaxy and extract energy from multiple stars and planets. This civilization can deconstruct planets and reassemble them in at different location. They can also perform star lifting, which is the act of moving a whole star to any desired location by using advance equipment.

Black holes can be used as a prime energy source. Solar systems or a cluster of stars can form an allegiance and run as a governing body. A galactic civilization would have control over most matter that exist within its reach. These include starlight, gas, and minerals. They would have constructed large space habitats which can be a home to many. We can reach this level at around one billion years (100 crore years).

Intergalactic Civilization

An intergalactic civilization will have the ability to extract energy from various other nearby galaxies. This civilization would be capable to freely manipulate space-time, create black holes, neutralize supernova explosions, and perform other unimaginable feats. In this day and age, we cannot possibly think of the feats that this civilization can do.

If we set aside our differences and work as humanity, we can reach great heights, break boundaries, and achieve the impossible. This blog is inspired by the idea of the Kardeshev scale proposed by Nikolai Kardeshev, a Russian astrophysicist.