A problem of cosmic proportions
Three experiments are starting to study dark energy, the most abundant stuff in the universe. But a theory has just been published purporting to show it does not exist
IN THE 1920s astronomers realised that the universe was running away from them. The farther off a galaxy was, the faster it retreated. Logically, this implied everything had once been in one place. That discovery, which led to the Big Bang theory, was the start of modern cosmology.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “A problem of cosmic proportions”
From the August 24th 2013 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionDiscover more
Carbon emissions from tourism are rising disproportionately fast
The industry is failing to make itself greener
Why China is building a Starlink system of its own
When it is finished, Qianfan could number 14,000 satellites
Lots of hunting. Not much gathering. The diet of early Americans
What they ate is given away by the isotopes in their bodies
Stimulating parts of the brain can help the paralysed to walk again
Implanted electrodes allowed one man to climb stairs unaided
Can anyone realistically challenge SpaceX’s launch supremacy?
And if its boss now tries to kill NASA’s own heavy lifter, will that matter?
Dreams of asteroid mining, orbital manufacturing and much more
Ideas for making money in orbit that seemed mad in the 1960s now look sane