Category Archives: Astronomy

Q: What is “Dark Matter”?

Posted on November 21, 2009 by The Physicist

Physicist: The most common answers are: “heavy neutrinos” and “I don’t know, something else?”.  Neutrinos are, for lack of a better word, “ghost” particles, which makes them a decent candidate. The original dark matter theories came from observations of nearby … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Astronomy, Physics | 2 Comments

Q: If black holes are “rips” in the fabric of our universe, does it mean they lead to other universes? If so, then did time begin in that universe at the inception of the black hole? Could we be in a black hole?

Posted on November 8, 2009 by The Physicist

Physicist: Before answering your question, I’ll waste your time with two quick asides. First: The place where the “ripping” might occur would be at the singularity.  “Singularity” is actually a very general term that roughly means “something goes to infinity … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Astronomy, Philosophical, Physics, Relativity | 22 Comments

Q: How plausible is it that the laws of physics may actually function differently in other parts of the universe?

Posted on October 21, 2009 by The Physicist

Mathematician: My two cents are that astronomical evidence (what we can tell about galaxies from here on earth) indicates that the laws of newtonian mechanics and gravitation in space are just the same they are here. I imagine that some … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Mathematician, -- By the Physicist, Astronomy, Philosophical, Physics | 16 Comments