Thread: Big Bang's "Smoking Gun."

Yeah I read that yesterday. Good stuff. I've been wating for a few years for that WMAP project to pay off. Glad to see some results.

yeah, i noted this on the news yesterday as well. incredible stuff.

The probe's observations show, in the most basic terms, the contents of the universe. Only about 4 percent of it is ordinary matter, with 22 percent composed of so-called dark matter -- which is not made of atoms, doesn't emit or absorb light and is only detected by its gravity -- and 74 percent made up of a mysterious dark energy, which scientists believe is making the universe expand now[/b]

heh, how can anyone read this and not be blown away at much and how little we know at the same time

That is awesome. +1 to the furthering of science.

A NASA space probe has peered back in time to a bare instant -- less than a trillionth of a trillionth of a second -- after the Big Bang, astronomers reported on Thursday.
[/b]

Amazing, looking all the way back in time to the beggining of the universe
And quite an accurate measurement!

Originally posted by wombing
heh, how can anyone read this and not be blown away at much and how little we know at the same time

That's what makes it so exciting and worthwhile We seek the answers, but secretly, it is the questions which are coveted. The questions are what lead to progress and leaps in understanding. That 96% "unknown" of which the universe is composed is the next big question. Of course, discovering properties of something which interacts with baryonic matter only through gravitational effects (as far as we know) will prove quite tricky. And tricky means interesting. Anyway, ponder this: What is the origin of those anisotropies (the tiny differences in temperature in the early universe which allowed for the formation of galaxies, solar systems, etc in the universe today)? The universe sprang from a singularity ~13.7 billion years ago, and within that singularity was the anisotropic foundation for the universe as we experience it. Also, here's another good one: Where did all of the antimatter go? The physical processes in the early universe should have lead to an equal distribution of matter and antimatter which would, as the universe cooled and expanded, annihilated each other, producing more high energy radiation. However, there is now more matter than antimatter in the universe (at least to the best of our knowledge). How did that imbalance occur within a universe of symmetrical processes? Currently, very little is known about the origin of either of these fundamental asymmetries.

Originally posted by Peregrinus
Where did all of the antimatter go? The physical processes in the early universe should have lead to an equal distribution of matter and antimatter which would, as the universe cooled and expanded, annihilated each other, producing more high energy radiation. However, there is now more matter than antimatter in the universe (at least to the best of our knowledge). How did that imbalance occur within a universe of symmetrical processes? Currently, very little is known about the origin of either of these fundamental asymmetries.

Yeah, I always wondered that, too. Doesn't make any sense.

But maybe the answer is beyond our wildest comprehension...I hope so anyway.

well, i've never thought of it in quite those terms peregrinus (simply because they are not a part of my vocabulary ). but how it is that both symettry and asymmetry were birthed in a singularity leaves me dazed and confused every time i ponder it.

'tricky means interesting'...definitely.

Sweet.

The bing bang is cool.