Month: April 2023

The Universe sucks: The mysterious Great Attractor that’s pulling us in

We’re headed toward something we can’t clearly see—and we’ll never get there.

The Universe sucks: The mysterious Great Attractor that’s pulling us in

Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images)

Our Milky Way galaxy is speeding through the emptiness of space at 600 kilometers per second, headed toward something we cannot clearly see. The focal point of that movement is the Great Attractor, the product of billions of years of cosmic evolution. But we'll never reach our destination because, in a few billion years, the accelerating force of dark energy will tear the Universe apart.

Whispers in the sky

Beginning as early as the 1970s, astronomers noticed something funny going on with the galaxies in our nearby patch of the Universe. There was the usual and expected Hubble flow, the general recession of galaxies driven by the overall expansion of the Universe. But there seemed to be some vague directionality on top of that, as if all of the galaxies near us were also heading toward the same focal point.

Astronomers debated whether this was a real effect or some artifact of Malmquist bias, the bias we get in our observations because bright galaxies are easier to observe than dim ones (for fans of statistics, it’s just another expression of a selection effect). It could be that a complete census of the nearby cosmos, including the much more numerous small and dim galaxies, would erase any apparent extra movement and return some sanity to the world.

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The Universe sucks: The mysterious Great Attractor that’s pulling us in

We’re headed toward something we can’t clearly see—and we’ll never get there.

The Universe sucks: The mysterious Great Attractor that’s pulling us in

Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images)

Our Milky Way galaxy is speeding through the emptiness of space at 600 kilometers per second, headed toward something we cannot clearly see. The focal point of that movement is the Great Attractor, the product of billions of years of cosmic evolution. But we'll never reach our destination because, in a few billion years, the accelerating force of dark energy will tear the Universe apart.

Whispers in the sky

Beginning as early as the 1970s, astronomers noticed something funny going on with the galaxies in our nearby patch of the Universe. There was the usual and expected Hubble flow, the general recession of galaxies driven by the overall expansion of the Universe. But there seemed to be some vague directionality on top of that, as if all of the galaxies near us were also heading toward the same focal point.

Astronomers debated whether this was a real effect or some artifact of Malmquist bias, the bias we get in our observations because bright galaxies are easier to observe than dim ones (for fans of statistics, it’s just another expression of a selection effect). It could be that a complete census of the nearby cosmos, including the much more numerous small and dim galaxies, would erase any apparent extra movement and return some sanity to the world.

Read 37 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Kritische Rohstoffe: Chiles Präsident will Lithium-Abbau kontrollieren

Die Versorgung mit Rohstoffen wie Lithium ist wichtig für die Energie- und Verkehrswende. Die Bundesregierung plant dazu einen eigenen Rohstofffonds. (Lithium, Bundesfinanzministerium)

Die Versorgung mit Rohstoffen wie Lithium ist wichtig für die Energie- und Verkehrswende. Die Bundesregierung plant dazu einen eigenen Rohstofffonds. (Lithium, Bundesfinanzministerium)

Umgehung von Sanktionen: China ist Russlands Fenster zur Halbleiterwelt

Eigentlich sollte Russland keine Chips aus den USA und Europa kaufen können. Firmen aus China halten sich nicht daran, einige entstanden nur zur Umgehung der Sanktionen. (Russland, Politik)

Eigentlich sollte Russland keine Chips aus den USA und Europa kaufen können. Firmen aus China halten sich nicht daran, einige entstanden nur zur Umgehung der Sanktionen. (Russland, Politik)

Stromer ST7: Der Porsche auf zwei Rädern

Das neue ST7 von Stromer ist ein Speed-Pedelec für Pendler, die in kurzer Zeit weit fahren wollen. Das Rad zeigt, was technisch möglich ist. Das hat seinen Preis – und Schönheitsfehler. Ein Praxistest von Peter Ilg (E-Bike, Test)

Das neue ST7 von Stromer ist ein Speed-Pedelec für Pendler, die in kurzer Zeit weit fahren wollen. Das Rad zeigt, was technisch möglich ist. Das hat seinen Preis - und Schönheitsfehler. Ein Praxistest von Peter Ilg (E-Bike, Test)