Controvertial "Proof" of Multiverse!

Forums: Science, Space, Universe, Galaxies, Astrophysics
Email this Topic • Print this Page

Wowsa!

A massive river of galaxies is headed from well within the boundaries of the universe towards one edge of it. It is flowing faster (or in a more unified direction, at least) than the general expansion of the universe. The theory is that the flow is headed towards something which was pushed outside of the universe, perhaps at the time of the big bang.

Quote:

.... In 2008 scientists reported the discovery of hundreds of galaxy clusters streaming in the same direction at more than 2.2 million miles (3.6 million kilometers) an hour.

This mysterious motion can't be explained by current models for distribution of mass in the universe. So the researchers made the controversial suggestion that the clusters are being tugged on by the gravity of matter outside the known universe.

Now the same team has found that the dark flow extends even deeper into the universe than previously reported: out to at least 2.5 billion light-years from Earth.

After using two additional years' worth of data and tracking twice the number of galaxy clusters, "we clearly see the flow, we clearly see it pointing in the same direction," said study leader Alexander Kashlinsky, an astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.

"It looks like a very coherent flow."

The find adds to the case that chunks of matter got pushed outside the known universe shortly after the big bang"which in turn hints that our universe is part of something larger: a multiverse....

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/03/100322-dark-flow-matter-outside-universe-multiverse/?source=link_fb03232010

Topic Stats
Top Replies
Link to this Topic

Type: Discussion • Score: 18 • Views: 29,149 • Replies: 41

can i book a ticket to earth 2 yet

1 Reply

@djjd62,

Nooooot quite yet.

0 Replies

@littlek,

I think Kashlinski is playing fast and loose with his terminology with regard to "Multi-Verses" and "Beyond our known Universe".

For example, the following paragraph...

Quote:

Kashlinsky speculates that the dark flow extends "all the way across the visible universe," or about 47 billion light-years, which would fit with the notion that the clusters are being pulled by matter that lies beyond known horizons.

... implies that "beyond known horizons" refers to the light boundary of our Universe, not to the Pre-Bang point.

Other paragraphs in the linked articles hint at the same basic meaning. Then I think the author just amplified what he liked for a headline.

It's still an interesting discovery. Apparently something in the early Universe, the dark time that existed before stars could form, has a large attractor in it. Possibly many large attractors. But nothing in the article says that the attractors exist prior to the BB time event.

0 Replies

Hmmm ... this article is telling me that I need to read up on my cosmology. I'm not as sure in my assessment of Kashlinsky's point as I'd like to be. My gut instinct, though, is that he is using "known" as a weasel word. If a cluster of galaxies moves towards the edge of our "known" universe, perhaps all that means is that there's a corner of our universe we don't know yet, and that something interesting is going on there. I'm not seeing anything in the article that would support any spectacular conclusions about the topology of the universe, or the multiverse, or whatever.

1 Reply

@Thomas,

That was my feeling as well. I'm not sure if it's the scientist who is over reaching or the author.

1 Reply

@littlek,

I'm assuming your title should read ... Incontrovertible "Proof" of Multiverse!....
But don't frown or blush.

I'm really just responding so I can remember to return to this thread and dive in head first into the whole shebang after work.

Or were you going for controversial?

Now I'm blushing for my possible mistake.

0 Replies

I guess it depends on how you look at it.... I meant what I wrote, but didn't edit! (oops).

0 Replies

What is Obama doing about this ?

0 Replies

If there are infinite universes then there must be universes in which there are no alternate universes. Maybe we are in one of those.

1 Reply

interesting point, Eorl.

We had a string theorist from MIT come to our BBQ last weekend. He was funny. He sat, just sort of nodding and smiled at my arm-chair physics commentary and telling us all proving string theory would be meaningless in any practical sense.

1 Reply

@littlek,

Quote:

After using two additional years' worth of data and tracking twice the number of galaxy clusters, "we clearly see the flow, we clearly see it pointing in the same direction," said study leader Alexander Kashlinsky, an astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.

"It looks like a very coherent flow."

God flushed the toilet?

1 Reply

@littlek,

littlek wrote:

interesting point, Eorl.

We had a string theorist from MIT come to our BBQ last weekend. He was funny. He sat, just sort of nodding and smiled
at my arm-chair physics commentary and telling us all proving string theory would be meaningless in any practical sense.

Presumably, he does not think much of Membrane Theory, either.

David

0 Replies

@Eorl,

Quote:

If there are infinite universes then there must be universes in which there are no alternate universes. Maybe we are in one of those.

unless we are in them all for an infinity

early is good: easy parking, preferential seats

0 Replies

Well if this multiverse is newer than ours it could expand our occupation of space for a few more trillion light years... Smile

1 Reply

@RexRed,

I don't have a calendar in front of me. Is the expansion going to end on the Labor Day weekend? Or the Thursday before the long weekend?

0 Replies

@hingehead,

Heavy theology, HH.

0 Replies

@littlek,

To myself, this states that an occurance of lesser magnitude than the theorised big bang, is in full swing, for example the ancient results of collision are in effect at sizes beyond the evidenced remainder of the inertial material continuance happening now, or rather slightly 'then'.. That fields met on axis unknown, could cause this, so too could fields of secondary universal 'off axis' value.

Physics according to Earth is often highly incorrect, physics according to the universe is diverse to say the least.

0 Replies

Its just the same as religion.to speculate why! Usefull ideas that can latter be experimented, If we cant know, we have to wait for technology to find the means.

0 Replies

Such speculations are nothing but fun as far as I'm concerned. The very notion of multiple universes existing in a single spatial dimension leads me to ask What's between them? Also, I speculated in one of these threads once somewhere that I could not imagine leaving this universe because if I could arrive at its end I could not go beyond it because that would merely expand (rather than pass beyond) its boundaries. Where I go the universe goes ; I cannot leave it behind because I am part of it. Sillly I know.

1 Reply

Controvertial "Proof" of Multiverse!

Related Topics

Quick Links

My Account

able2know