I wish more pop science reporters would report on “dark energy” and “dark matter” as the questions they are.
Dark energy is “our best models of physics say redshift is due to movement away, and when we apply that model to our best observations the furthest galaxies appear to be accelerating, what the fuck is making them accelerate”?
(Dark matter is, simpler, “why are all these galaxies rotating as if they have way more matter than we can see – and why the fuck can’t we see that matter?”)
True. Assigning names like these to unknowns has entirely superseded the specific questions in the zeitgeist. They should really be named as something less ambiguous like “unknown accelerant” and “unknown attractor”.
I wish more pop science reporters would report on “dark energy” and “dark matter” as the questions they are.
Dark energy is “our best models of physics say redshift is due to movement away, and when we apply that model to our best observations the furthest galaxies appear to be accelerating, what the fuck is making them accelerate”?
(Dark matter is, simpler, “why are all these galaxies rotating as if they have way more matter than we can see – and why the fuck can’t we see that matter?”)
I’d just settle for “missing energy”. “dark matter” is fine as it has mass, but doesn’t radiate for whatever reason.
True. Assigning names like these to unknowns has entirely superseded the specific questions in the zeitgeist. They should really be named as something less ambiguous like “unknown accelerant” and “unknown attractor”.