Evidence indicates "dark energy" will cause universe to end in "big rip"

in about 2.0×10¹⁰ years.

http://science.slashdot.org/science/04/05/19/131215.shtml?tid=126&tid=134&tid=160

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/TECH/space/05/18/dark.energy/

(snip)

(CNN) -- The Chandra Space Telescope has gathered further evidence the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate, scientists at NASA and Britain's Institute of Astronomy announced Tuesday. The finding sheds new light on a force known as "dark energy."

(snip)

By using Chandra's data to figure out the ratio of hot gas to dark matter, astronomers determined how far away the clusters were and at what point in time they were viewing them, NASA's Web site says.

They concluded the clusters were farther away than expected, indicating an accelerated state of expansion.

According to scientists, these recent discoveries offer further evidence that the universe turned from decelerating expansion to accelerating 6 billion years ago when the mysterious force of dark energy took over and out-powered gravity, the force slowing the universe expansion down.




http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/may/HQ_n04070_dark_energy.html


http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/big_rip_030306.html

(snip)

The speculative but serious cosmology is described as a "pretty fantastic possibility" even by its lead author, Robert Caldwell of Dartmouth University. It explains one possible outcome for solid astronomical observations made in the late 1990s -- that the universe is expanding at an ever-increasing pace, and that something unknown is vacuuming everything outward.

The question Caldwell and his colleagues posed is, what would happen if the rate of acceleration increased?

Their answer is that the eventual, phenomenal pace would overwhelm the normal, trusted effects of gravity right down to the local level. Even the nuclear forces that bind things in the subatomic world will cease to be effective.

"The expansion becomes so fast that it literally rips apart all bound objects," Caldwell explained in a telephone interview. "It rips apart clusters of galaxies. It rips apart stars. It rips apart planets and solar systems. And it eventually rips apart all matter."

He calls it, as you might guess, the Big Rip.





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Rip




much more at the links

I've got tickets to the Ranger and Yankee game on Sunday.

Nothing? Infinite empty space? God? A creamy nougat center?

Dude, pass the bong quick. :smoke:

That should take care of it... ;)

Later,

Like that I guess.

It's the "October surprise". And it was financed by the Rockefellers.