Gautama Buddha MYSTERIES OFnie-images.s3.amazonaws.com/gall_content/2019/12/2019_12... ·...
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“Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher.” Gautama Buddha 02 KNOWLEDGEPEDIA MYSTERIES OF The Universe has fascinated us since we first set our sight on the night sky. Although our curiosity has pushed us to solve some of the biggest puzzles in cosmology, we still have a lot to learn. So let’s take a step into the mysterious world... How will the Universe end? Are there ‘Infinite Universes’? Everything has a beginning and an end — including our universe. Scientists have outlined the three most prominent ways in which the Universe might end. They’re called Big Freeze, Big Crunch and Big Rip. BIG FREEZE: As the Universe contin- ues to expand at an ever-increasing speed, the heat is dispersed throughout space. Eventually the temperature across Universe will drop to freezing point. BIG CRUNCH: According to this theo- ry, billions of years from now the Universe will cease to expand. When this happens, gravity will become a dominant force. This will cause the Universe to shrink, making all the galaxies collide with each other. Eventually, all the matter will be pulled together into a super dense state — like a black hole. BIG RIP: This theory claims that the Universe will continue to expand until the galaxies, stars, planets, and mat- ter are no longer able to hold them- selves together, at which point they rip apart. Astronomers know only about the 4 per cent of the Universe that is visible to us in the form of planets, stars, asteroids and other celestial bod- ies. The other 96 per cent is made of substance sci- entists can’t see, detect or even comprehend. This invisible stuff is divided into two parts: Dark energy (74%) and Dark Matter (22%). Dark energy is the reason behind the expan- sion of the Universe at an accelerating rate. Scientists have no clue about how Dark energy works or why it exists, they are only certain that it’s counter- acting gravity and causing the uni- verse to accelerate in its expansion. Dark matter is thought to be the “glue” that holds galaxies together. It comprised bizarre ingredients that neither emit nor absorb light. So how do we know it exists? Astronomers detect its presence by understanding the behaviour of stars and galaxies which appear to react to its presence. But just like dark energy, we know its effects but are ignorant about how it works. What’s Dark Energy and Dark Matter? In the summer of 1950, physicist Enrico Fermi posed a simple question to his colleagues over lunch: “Where is everybody?” Fermi was referring to alien life in the universe. Arguably, he said, in the 4.4 billion years it took for intelligent life to evolve on our planet, the rest of our galaxy should have been overrun with similarly smart, technologically advanced aliens. But despite decades of searching the Milky Way for signs of extraterrestrials, we haven’t found anything or anyone. Scientists have offered myr- iad potential answers to the question, even say- ing that aliens are hibernating or deliberating hiding from us. Some researchers have also suggested that high- ly advanced technologi- cal civilisations destroy themselves before they have the oppor- tunity to get in con- tact with other in- telligent life in the universe. The parallel universe theory was first proposed in 1950 by US physicist Hugh Everett. According to this theory, every time a new physical possibility is explored, the universe splits. Given a number of possible alternative outcomes, each one is played out in its own universe. A motorist who almost meets with an accident, for instance, might feel re- lieved at his lucky escape. But in a parallel universe in an- other version, the same driver would have been killed. Yet another universe will see the motorist recover after treat- ment in hospital. The number of alternative scenarios is endless. A parallel universe is similar, and possibly, even a duplicate of our own universe. There are human beings who may be exact duplicates of ourselves and are connected to us through mechanisms only explainable using quantum physics concepts. Is water vital for life? All life forms on Earth require water for growth and reproduction. But can life flourish on planets without water? Scientists from Cornell University in New York have proposed a new type of life that can survive on liquid methane rather than water. According to them, the best bet of finding such a life form is on Titan, the giant moon of Saturn. Titan is awash with seas not of water, but liquid methane. Its surface temperature is minus 180 degrees Celsius. This means that methane-based life can survive on chilly and waterless environment. However, the cold temperatures in which liquid methane exists would produce sluggish life form. But it may also imply that more places are habitable than we thought. How did life on Earth begin? It’s one of the most fundamental questions of all time, and yet we don’t have a scientific answer for it. Some sci- entists believe that life was carried here on comets or as- teroids. It’s a good theory because we’ve found organic material on some of them. Others think that a piece of Mars could have landed on Earth and allowed life to get started. Others think simple molecules caused chemical reactions to happen that eventually formed more com- plex molecules. Those molecules combined into things like RNA, one of the necessary ingredients for life. Then multicellular organisms evolved. The deep-sea vent the- ory suggests that life may have begun with submarine hydrothermal vents spewing key hydrogen-rich mole- cules. Their rocky nooks could then have concentrated these molecules together and provided mineral catalysts for critical reactions. 74% DARK ENERGY DARK MATTER STARS, PLANETS, ASTEROIDS etc 22% 4% How did the moon form? A popular theory is that it result- ed from a huge collision of a Mars- sized celestial body, with Earth, early in our Solar System's histo- ry. Scientists call this imagined planet Theia after the deity who gave birth to the moon goddess in ancient Greek mythology. The crash caused debris from both ce- lestial bodies to orbit Earth — then a ball of partly molten rock rather than the solid orb we know today — and eventually coalesce to cre- ate the moon. Although this is the most popular theory, it is not with- out its challenges. Most models sug- gest that more than 60 per cent of the moon should be made up of ma- terial from Theia. But rock sam- ples from the Apollo missions sug- gest otherwise. Photo: Getty Images Photo: Getty Images Photo: Getty Images Photo: Getty Images Photo: Getty Images Photo: Getty Images Photo: Getty Images Photo: Getty Images Photo: AFP Could black holes be portals to other universes? Nothing in outer space elicits more awe and fascination than black holes. They are objects of extreme density, with such strong gravitation- al pull that even light cannot escape from their grasp if it reaches its event horizon—the point of no return. Because no light can get out, we can’t see black holes. They are invisible. Astronomers detect them by observing how matter swirls around them. Only stars with more than 20 times the mass of the Sun will become black holes. Many scientists including physicist Stephen Hawking claim black holes are portals to another universe. But it will be too premature to accept such a conclu- sion The incredibly strong gravitational field inside would tear apart every atom in your body. Of course, there is no conclusive evidence to suggest that black holes are a window to another Universe. Although no black hole is close enough to Earth to pull the planet to its doom, there are so many black holes in the universe that counting them is impossi- ble. Nearly every galaxy — our own Milky Way, as well as the 100 billion or so other galaxies visible from Earth — shows signs of a supermassive black hole in its centre. Moreover the bigger a galaxy, the more massive its central black hole. Why? No one has the answer. How are galaxies formed? As you know, a galaxy is a huge collection of gas, dust, and billions of stars and their solar systems. Ever wonder how these giant intricate structures are formed? There are two leading theories to explain how the first galaxies were created. After the Big Bang, space was made up almost entirely of hydrogen and helium. Astronomers believe over time gravity pulled dust and gas to form individual stars. These stars slowly formed a cluster that ultimately became galaxies. Others theorise that the early universe disintegrated first into colossal “clumps” that con- tained enough building materials to make galaxies. Do you know that the galaxy-formation process is still on? Occasionally, galaxies even collide with each other, merging their stars and dust together. In fact, our galaxy, The Milky Way, may contain the remains of several smaller galaxies that it has cannibalised during its lifetime. Is there anybody out there? MYSTERIES OF
Transcript of Gautama Buddha MYSTERIES OFnie-images.s3.amazonaws.com/gall_content/2019/12/2019_12... ·...
“Do not believe what your teacher tells you merelyout of respect for the teacher.”
Gautama Buddha02 KNOWLEDGEPEDIA
M Y S T E R I E S O F
The Universe has fascinated us since we first set our sight onthe night sky. Although our curiosity has pushed us to solvesome of the biggest puzzles in cosmology, we still have a lotto learn. So let’s take a step into the mysterious world...
How will theUniverse end?
Are there ‘Infinite Universes’?
Everything has a beginning and anend — including our universe.Scientists have outlined the threemost prominent ways in which theUniverse might end. They’re calledBig Freeze, Big Crunch and Big Rip.
BIG FREEZE: As the Universe contin-ues to expand at an ever-increasingspeed, the heat is dispersedthroughout space. Eventually thetemperature across Universe willdrop to freezing point.
BIG CRUNCH: According to this theo-ry, billions of years from now theUniverse will cease to expand. Whenthis happens, gravity will become adominant force. This will cause theUniverse to shrink, making all thegalaxies collide with each other.Eventually, all the matter will bepulled together into a super densestate — like a black hole.
BIG RIP: This theory claims that theUniverse will continue to expand untilthe galaxies, stars, planets, and mat-ter are no longer able to hold them-selves together, at which point theyrip apart.
Astronomers know only about the 4per cent of the Universe that is visibleto us in the form of planets,stars, asteroids andother celestial bod-ies. The other 96per cent is madeof substance sci-entists can’t see,detect or evencomprehend. Thisinvisible stuff isdivided into two parts:Dark energy (74%) andDark Matter (22%). Darkenergy is the reason behind the expan-sion of the Universe at an acceleratingrate. Scientists have no clue about howDark energy works or why it exists,
they are only certain that it’s counter-acting gravity and causing the uni-
verse to accelerate in itsexpansion. Dark matter is
thought to be the“glue” that holdsgalaxies together. Itcomprised bizarreingredients thatneither emit nor
absorb light. So howdo we know it exists?
Astronomers detect itspresence by understanding
the behaviour of stars andgalaxies which appear to react to itspresence. But just like dark energy, weknow its effects but are ignorantabout how it works.
What’s Dark Energy and Dark Matter? In the summer of 1950, physicist Enrico Fermi poseda simple question to his colleagues over lunch: “Whereis everybody?” Fermi was referring to alien life in theuniverse. Arguably, he said, in the 4.4 billion years ittook for intelligent life to evolve on our planet, therest of our galaxy should have been overrun withsimilarly smart, technologically advanced aliens.But despite decades of searching the Milky Wayfor signs of extraterrestrials, we haven’t foundanything or anyone. Scientists have offered myr-iad potential answers to the question, even say-ing that aliens are hibernatingor deliberating hiding fromus. Some researchers havealso suggested that high-ly advanced technologi-cal civilisations destroythemselves beforethey have the oppor-tunity to get in con-tact with other in-telligent life in theuniverse.
The parallel universe theory was first proposed in 1950 byUS physicist Hugh Everett. According to this theory, everytime a new physical possibility is explored, the universesplits. Given a number of possible alternative outcomes,each one is played out in its own universe. A motorist whoalmost meets with an accident, for instance, might feel re-lieved at his lucky escape. But in a parallel universe in an-other version, the same driver would have been killed. Yetanother universe will see the motorist recover after treat-ment in hospital. The number of alternative scenarios isendless. A parallel universe is similar, and possibly, even aduplicate of our own universe. There are human beings whomay be exact duplicates of ourselves and are connected tous through mechanisms only explainable using quantumphysics concepts.
Is water vital for life?All life forms on Earth require water for growth andreproduction. But can life flourish on planets withoutwater? Scientists from Cornell University in New Yorkhave proposed a newtype of life that cansurvive on liquid methane ratherthan water. According to them, the bestbet of finding such a life form is on Titan,the giant moon of Saturn. Titan is awashwith seas not of water, but liquid methane.Its surface temperature is minus 180 degreesCelsius. This means that methane-based life cansurvive on chilly and waterless environment.However, the cold temperatures in which liquidmethane exists would produce sluggish lifeform. But it may also imply that more placesare habitable than we thought.
How did life on Earth begin?It’s one of the most fundamental questions of all time,and yet we don’t have a scientific answer for it. Some sci-entists believe that life was carried here on comets or as-teroids. It’s a good theory because we’ve found organicmaterial on some of them. Others think that a piece ofMars could have landed on Earth and allowed life to getstarted. Others think simple molecules caused chemicalreactions to happen that eventually formed more com-plex molecules. Those molecules combined into thingslike RNA, one of the necessary ingredients for life. Thenmulticellular organisms evolved. The deep-sea vent the-ory suggests that life may have begun with submarinehydrothermal vents spewing key hydrogen-rich mole-cules. Their rocky nooks could then have concentratedthese molecules together and provided mineral catalystsfor critical reactions.
74%DARK ENERGY DARK MATTER
STARS, PLANETS,ASTEROIDS etc
22%
4%
How did the moon form? A popular theory is that it result-ed from a huge collision of a Mars-sized celestial body, with Earth,early in our Solar System's histo-ry. Scientists call this imaginedplanet Theia after the deity whogave birth to the moon goddess inancient Greek mythology. Thecrash caused debris from both ce-lestial bodies to orbit Earth — thena ball of partly molten rock ratherthan the solid orb we know today— and eventually coalesce to cre-ate the moon. Although this is themost popular theory, it is not with-out its challenges. Most models sug-gest that more than 60 per cent ofthe moon should be made up of ma-terial from Theia. But rock sam-ples from the Apollo missions sug-gest otherwise.
Photo:Getty Images
Photo: Getty ImagesPhoto: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: AFP
Could black holes be portals toother universes?Nothing in outer space elicits more awe and fascination than blackholes. They are objects of extreme density, with such strong gravitation-al pull that even light cannot escape from their grasp if it reaches itsevent horizon—the point of no return. Because no light can get out, wecan’t see black holes. They are invisible. Astronomers detect them byobserving how matter swirls around them. Only stars with more than 20times the mass of the Sun will become black holes. Many scientistsincluding physicist Stephen Hawking claim black holes are portals toanother universe. But it will be too premature to accept such a conclu-sion The incredibly strong gravitational field inside would tear apartevery atom in your body. Of course, there is no conclusive evidence tosuggest that black holes are a window to another Universe. Although noblack hole is close enough to Earth to pull the planet to its doom, thereare so many black holes in the universe that counting them is impossi-ble. Nearly every galaxy — our own Milky Way, as well as the 100 billionor so other galaxies visible from Earth — shows signs of a supermassiveblack hole in its centre. Moreover the bigger a galaxy, the more massiveits central black hole. Why? No one has the answer.
How are galaxies formed?As you know, a galaxy is a huge collection of gas, dust, and billions ofstars and their solar systems. Ever wonder how these giant intricatestructures are formed? There are two leading theories to explain howthe first galaxies were created. After the Big Bang, space was made upalmost entirely of hydrogen and helium. Astronomers believe over timegravity pulled dust and gas to form individual stars. These stars slowlyformed a cluster that ultimately became galaxies. Others theorise thatthe early universe disintegrated first into colossal “clumps” that con-tained enough building materials to make galaxies. Do you know that thegalaxy-formation process is still on? Occasionally, galaxies even collidewith each other, merging their stars and dust together. In fact, ourgalaxy, The Milky Way, may contain the remains of several smallergalaxies that it has cannibalised during its lifetime.
Is there anybody out there?
M Y S T E R I E S O F
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