Latest news with #DECam
Sustainability Times
4 days ago
- General
- Sustainability Times
'Dark Energy Just Got Stranger': Groundbreaking Discovery Shakes the Foundations of How We Understand the Entire Universe
IN A NUTSHELL 🌌 The Dark Energy Survey (DES) has uncovered findings that challenge the notion of dark energy as a constant force. has uncovered findings that challenge the notion of dark energy as a constant force. 🔭 Using the powerful Dark Energy Camera (DECam) , researchers mapped a significant portion of the universe over six years. , researchers mapped a significant portion of the universe over six years. 📉 Anomalies in baryonic acoustic oscillations (BAO) suggest a smaller scale than predicted by the standard cosmological model. suggest a smaller scale than predicted by the standard cosmological model. 💡 New data from Type Ia supernovae strengthen the idea that dark energy might be dynamic, reshaping our cosmic understanding. The universe, as we perceive it, is a tapestry woven with the enigmatic threads of dark matter and dark energy. For decades, the standard cosmological model, known as ΛCDM, has crafted our scientific understanding, asserting that a staggering 95% of the cosmos is composed of these mysterious entities. Among them, dark energy is believed to be the driving force behind the accelerating expansion of the universe, acting as a repulsive force. However, recent findings from the Dark Energy Survey (DES)</strong) have introduced complexities that challenge our existing perceptions of this force. Dark Energy: A Cosmological Constant, or So We Thought Dark energy has long been modeled by the cosmological constant, a concept introduced by Albert Einstein in the early 20th century. This term represents a mysterious force supposed to counteract gravity, thereby causing the universe's expansion to accelerate. Within the framework of the ΛCDM model, which stands as the accepted paradigm of modern cosmology, this constant was presumed to remain unchanged over time. This assumption was grounded in several reasons. The ΛCDM model hinges on the belief that the universe is homogeneous and isotropic on large scales, meaning its properties are uniform in all directions and locations on average. This hypothesis underpins modern cosmology, suggesting that when observed over vast scales, the universe exhibits a uniform distribution of matter and energy, including dark energy. Thus, it seemed logical to assume that dark energy, like ordinary and dark matter, was evenly distributed throughout the cosmos. 'Japan Traps the Impossible': Scientists Develop Breakthrough Method to Extract Ammonia From Air and Water With Unmatched Precision Moreover, at the time of the ΛCDM model's formulation, scientists lacked a theoretical mechanism to explain any potential variability in dark energy over time or space. In the absence of such a mechanism, it was reasonable to consider dark energy as a constant, acting as a fundamental property of the universe responsible for its accelerating expansion. An Evolving Phenomenon? However, recent discoveries by researchers from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) suggest an entirely different possibility: dark energy might actually be evolving over time. The study, leveraging data from the 570-megapixel Dark Energy Camera (DECam) mounted on the 4-meter Víctor M. Blanco Telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, has mapped a portion of the universe covering nearly one-eighth of the sky over a span of six years. Various observational techniques were employed, including supernovae, galaxy clusters, and weak gravitational lensing. This Prehistoric Armored Fish From 465 Million Years Ago Could Be the Key to Understanding Why Our Teeth Still Hurt Initial analyses revealed notable anomalies. One of the primary findings is that the scale of baryonic acoustic oscillations (BAO), which describe the distribution of galaxies in the universe, appears smaller than predicted by the ΛCDM model. In simpler terms, the measured scale of these oscillations was 4% smaller than the standard cosmological model's predictions. If confirmed, this discrepancy could profoundly impact our understanding of the universe's expansion. Supernovae and Cosmic Distances: Shedding Additional Light In addition to the BAO data, another critical measure emerged from the study of Type Ia supernovae. These supernovae serve as 'standard candles' due to their known intrinsic brightness, allowing scientists to calculate their distances with remarkable precision. The DES findings, combined with supernova data, bolstered the idea that dark energy might be dynamic and not an immutable cosmological constant. This Stunning Scientific Breakthrough Just Tripled the Birth Rate of One of the World's Most Endangered Parrot Species The Dark Energy Survey recently released an extensive dataset on Type Ia supernovae, enabling highly precise measurements of cosmic distances. These new discoveries confirm the anomalies observed in the baryonic acoustic oscillations, adding weight to the possibility of evolving dark energy. Profound Implications for Cosmology If the DES findings are validated, they would signify a significant reconfiguration of our understanding of the universe. The cosmological constant, long considered a fundamental parameter in cosmology, might need to be replaced by a more complex view. Juan Mena-Fernández from the Laboratory of Subatomic Physics and Cosmology in Grenoble speaks of physics beyond the standard model. He suggests that if these new data are corroborated, it could pave the way for a scientific revolution, challenging long-established ideas. While the current DES results are not yet definitive, researchers anticipate further analyses. Additional data from probes like galaxy clusters and weak gravitational lensing effects should offer complementary insights into the nature of dark energy. For the scientific community, these discoveries present an opportunity to explore new theoretical avenues and consider more flexible cosmological models capable of explaining the observed anomalies. The upcoming months will be crucial in validating this new interpretation of dark energy and potentially revolutionizing our understanding of the universe. As we stand on the brink of potentially redefining our cosmic knowledge, one must wonder: What other mysteries might the universe hold, waiting to be unraveled by future explorations? Our author used artificial intelligence to enhance this article. Did you like it? 4.5/5 (26)
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Astronomers gaze into 'dark nebula' 60 times the size of the solar system (video)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Astronomers have discovered a dense stellar nursery packed with infant stars in a vast "cosmic ink blot."The team made the discovery using one of the most powerful digital cameras in the world: the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) mounted on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. The dark shadow overlaid on a starry background is known as the Circinus West molecular cloud. Circinus West is a cold, dense cloud of gas and dust that stretches out for 180 light-years, around 60 times the size of our solar system. Nebulas like this are so dense that light cannot pass through them, resulting in their dark, ink-like appearance and the fitting nickname "dark nebulas." With a mass around 250,000 times that of the sun, the Circinus West molecular cloud, located 2500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Circinus, is jam-packed with the raw material for star formation. Despite being a "dark nebula," the Circinus West molecular cloud isn't so dark that it can completely hide its young stellar population, however. The team zoomed in on this region with the powerful DECam instrument to see these stellar infants and their associated phenomena in greater detail. One dead giveaway of newborn stars is occasional pockets of light punctuating the inky tendrils of the molecular cloud. These are created during star formation when so-called "protostars" — stars that haven't yet gathered enough material to trigger the fusion of hydrogen to helium in their cores — launch jets of material into space, carving cavities in the dense molecular gas and find these high-energy outflows are easier to see than the protostars that launch them. That is because protostars are still wrapped in natal blankets of gas and dust from which they continue to gather mass on their journey to becoming main-sequence stars like the sun. This makes these outflows and cavities a great indicator of the location of protostars. Multiple outflows can be seen in the central black tendril of the Circinus West molecular cloud, named the Cir-MMS the heart of the Cir-MMS region is a large cavity that is being cleared by radiation blasting out for an infant star. Another stellar newborn is clearing a similar cavity at the bottom left of the Cir-MMS region. The abundance of "Herbig-Haro" (HH) objects in Circinus West is another indication of active star formation. HH objects are glowing red patches of nebulous gas and dust commonly found near newborn stars. They are created when fast-moving gas ejected by stars slams into slower-moving surrounding gas. Circinus West is packed with such objects, punctuating the dark lanes of gas and dust. It isn't just newborn stars that populate Circinus West. This molecular cloud is also home to many stars at the other end of the stellar cycle of life and nebulas, seen by the DECam in Circinus West as red blotches, are the remains of red giant stars, stellar bodies that have reached the end of their hydrogen supplies and their main sequence lifetimes. At this point, they shed their outer layers, with this material dispersing and cooling, creating a planetary nebula (which somewhat confusingly actually have nothing to do with planets). Related Stories: — James Webb Space Telescope investigates the origins of 'failed stars' in the Flame Nebula — Running Chicken Nebula glows in gorgeous new image from Very Large Telescope in Chile — Earth-size planet discovered around cool red dwarf star shares its name with a biscuit The team behind this research hopes that by studying the infant and aging stars of Circinus West and their outflows can reveal more about how they shape their immediate environments Ultimately, this could reveal the processes that govern the evolution of galaxies like the Milky Way.
