"By SETH BORENSTEIN,AP Posted: 2007-08-25 23:05:48 Filed Under: Science News (Aug. 24) - Astronomers have stumbled upon a tremendous hole in the universe. That's got them scratching their heads about what's just not there. The cosmic blank spot has no stray stars, no galaxies, no sucking black holes, not even mysterious dark matter. It is 1 billion light years across of nothing. That's a giant expanse of nearly 6 billion trillion miles of emptiness, a University of Minnesota team announced Thursday.
Astronomers have known for many years that there are patches in the universe where nobody's home. In fact, one such place is practically a neighbor, a mere 2 million light years away. But what the Minnesota team discovered, using two different types of astronomical observations, is a void that's far bigger than scientists ever imagined.
"This is 1,000 times the volume of what we sort of expected to see in terms of a typical void," said Minnesota astronomy professor Lawrence Rudnick, author of the paper that will be published in Astrophysical Journal. "It's not clear that we have the right word yet ... This is too much of a surprise."
Rudnick was examining a sky survey from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, which essentially takes radio pictures of a broad expanse of the universe. But one area of the universe had radio pictures indicating there was up to 45 percent less matter in that region, Rudnick said.
The rest of the matter in the radio pictures can be explained as stars and other cosmic structures between here and the void, which is about 5 to 10 billion light years away.
Rudnick then checked observations of cosmic microwave background radiation and found a cold spot. The only explanation, Rudnick said, is it's empty of matter.
It could also be a statistical freak of nature, but that's probably less likely than a giant void, said James Condon, an astronomer at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. He wasn't part of Rudnick's team but is following up on the research.
"It looks like something to be taken seriously," said Brent Tully, a University of Hawaii astronomer who wasn't part of this research but studies the void closer to Earth.
Tully said astronomers may eventually find a few cosmic structures in the void, but it would still be nearly empty.
Holes in the universe probably occur when the gravity from areas with bigger mass pull matter from less dense areas, Tully said. After 13 billion years "they are losing out in the battle to where there are larger concentrations of matter," he said.
Retired NASA astronomer Steve Maran said of the discovery: "This is incredibly important for something where there is nothing to it."
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL. 2007-08-25 16:30:25"
Well. This is very, incredibly interesting!
This hole, in which there seems to be no matter, is even a cold spot on the microwave background radiation.
This is quite interesting. I wonder what really caused it.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
I WAS HUNGRY
- Galactus
Posted by 0Megabyte (Member # 8624) on :
Ha!
Posted by JonHecht (Member # 9712) on :
Possible explanations as to why: 1. God and Galactus chill there 2. It is a portal to heaven 3. It's just a void, but that's boring (and so exciting at the same time) 4. It was torn down to make way for a hyperspace bypass
Personally I think that 4 is most likely.
Posted by 0Megabyte (Member # 8624) on :
Hmm.
4 it is, then!
Posted by EmpSquared (Member # 10890) on :
Number 2. God totally put a cloaking device on that sucker.
Posted by MEC (Member # 2968) on :
5. It hasn't been programmed yet 6. We weren't supposed to look there yet
Posted by BandoCommando (Member # 7746) on :
7. Nothingness is expanding and will consume all of creation in several billion years.
Posted by The Reader (Member # 3636) on :
I hope it's for a new bypass. We need that near Earth (but not through it ). I want to sell souveniers and oranges by the side of the road to tourist extraterrestrials.
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
quote:Originally posted by BandoCommando: 7. Nothingness is expanding and will consume all of creation in several billion years.
Quick! Someone give the Empress a new name!
Posted by rollainm (Member # 8318) on :
quote:Originally posted by Puffy Treat:
quote:Originally posted by BandoCommando: 7. Nothingness is expanding and will consume all of creation in several billion years.
Quick! Someone give the Empress a new name!
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
Posted by JonHecht (Member # 9712) on :
That was brilliant, took me half a second to recall it though.
Posted by 0Megabyte (Member # 8624) on :
God I love that movie.
At least, I love my memory of that movie. Is it as good as I remember, I wonder...
Posted by MEC (Member # 2968) on :
What movie are you guys talking (or laughing) about?
Posted by MightyCow (Member # 9253) on :
quote:Originally posted by MEC: 5. It hasn't been programmed yet 6. We weren't supposed to look there yet
That's what all those stars in front were for.
WALL HACK! Posted by 0Megabyte (Member # 8624) on :
The Neverending Story!
Posted by Eduardo St. Elmo (Member # 9566) on :
and... The Neverending Story II ...
Where the first movie is still quite good, this second installment takes a good story, uses about 15% of it - thereby reducing the plot to sappy, Hollywoodstyle nonsense - then re-iterates some stuff we'd already seen in the first movie to fill in the blanks. The sheer lack of progress leaves the viewer pondering the question why the lead characters are suddenly so different in appearance. - OWN IT NOW ON DVD Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
Michael Ende's original novel is light years better than the film. Worth checking out, if you've never read it.
And we won't speak of the sequels. Posted by MEC (Member # 2968) on :
Oh, OK. It's been so long since I've seen that movie. I don't remember much at all from it.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
It's obviously a duckblind maintained by a civilization far superior to ours.
Posted by The Reader (Member # 3636) on :
Elmer Fudd is behind the duck blind. If we look in the opposite direction, Bugs Bunny might be there. Its kind of like Scorpio and Orion.
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). I want to sell souveniers and oranges by the side of the road to tourist extraterrestrials.
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