Nasa to announce discovery in our Galaxy/1

[Xenia]

COMING UP:
1 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, May 14

NASA has scheduled a media teleconference to announce the discovery of an object in our Galaxy astronomers have been hunting for more than 50 years.
http://www.nasa.gov/news/media/newsaudio/index.html

I wonder what it is?!?!?!?

[Rebecca]

With a little digging, I found out the announcement pertains to Dark Matter. http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/aug/HQ_M06128_dark_matter.html

I'm very curious to see the details of the announcement!

Rebecca

[Xenia]

You think? That announcement is set for August. Also, I thought it was suppose to be an object?
In any case I look forward to hearing what all the mystery is about tomorrow!

[Lookin^Up]

Since I can't stream audio or watch videos on this computer, I won't be able to watch it, but the link Rebecca provided makes it sound like this great "discovery" is just another version of the Big Bang. But I will reserve judgment until the facts come to light--though scientists have been known to engage in science fiction when something like this comes up. We'll see.

[Cymrugirl]

I don't see how they could refer to Dark Matter as an object - but perhaps they don't know how else to hook us without revealing what it is.

[Ransom v. Unman]

Shouldn't it have been announced by now? What was it?

[Lookin^Up]

I don't see how they could refer to Dark Matter as an object . . .
Maybe it's a really BIG piece of dark matter.

The working (non-evolutionary) theory is that dark matter is a theory of scientists who are desperate to account for the lack of matter that should have come out of the Big Bang. In other words, if the Big Bang were true as described, there should be a lot more mass scattered about; but since there isn't, they decided there must be dark (unseen) matter floating about. And they call this guesswork "science"?

But as I said, we'll see what they've come up with, then we'll see which theory holds up better.

[Timber Wolf]

Since I can't stream audio or watch videos on this computer, I won't be able to watch it, but the link Rebecca provided makes it sound like this great "discovery" is just another version of the Big Bang. But I will reserve judgment until the facts come to light--though scientists have been known to engage in science fiction when something like this comes up. We'll see.

Maybe it's a really BIG piece of dark matter.

The working (non-evolutionary) theory is that dark matter is a theory of scientists who are desperate to account for the lack of matter that should have come out of the Big Bang. In other words, if the Big Bang were true as described, there should be a lot more mass scattered about; but since there isn't, they decided there must be dark (unseen) matter floating about. And they call this guesswork "science"?

But as I said, we'll see what they've come up with, then we'll see which theory holds up better.


two things:
1) the term "big bang," originally used as a derisive description of creation, pretty much summarizes an infinitely large amnt of matter compressed into an infinitely small singularity - who says God couldn't have done it that way, and that leads me to

2) scientists have discovered noise in the stellar signal, and other evidence that leads them back to a point in "time" when everything came into existence

----

regarding the announcement - maybe it's a black hole, or maybe Apophis is closer than they thought.

[Xenia]

I finally found something! Probably not the best resource but the pickins were slim :p.

After searching for decades, astronomers have found a supernova in our galaxy! So it wasn't little green men we were waiting for. It's located very near the center of the galaxy, about 28,000 light years away, and it's only at most about 140 years old. Quote from Bad Astronomy: 'If you're wondering what all the buzz (http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2008/05/12/no-nasa-hasnt-found-aliens/) has been about the past few days over a NASA discovery, then wait no longer. No, it's not aliens or an incoming asteroid. Instead, it's still very cool: astronomers have found the youngest supernova in the Milky Way (http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2008/g19/press_051408.html).'"
http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/05/14/1857221&from=rss

[Ransom v. Unman]

Wait - something doesn't make sense to me.

If this supernova happened 160 years ago, and it's 28,000 lightyears away, how do we already have pictures of it? :confused:

[Timber Wolf]

I'm guessing maybe the light we are detecting is from when the supernova was 160 yrs old ????

[Lookin^Up]

Nyeh ... I don't think so ... but that's an amusing idea. Ransom does have a point; if it's only 140 or 160 years old, then that's how far it has to be in light-years. I kind of doubt that we really have the technology to be sure how old or how far it really is. The farther out an observed object is, the more likelihood of error.

A supernova I can believe. Dark matter, no.

[Lookin^Up]

After reading the article and upon further reflection, I must amend my first post. It is possible to miss a light signature in the backdrop of starlight it must be coming from. It's still a remarkable find in any case.