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Galaxy Clusters' Stunted Growth Confirms Dark Energy

Posted December 17, 2008 8:52 AM

From Slashdot:

A new study of 86 galaxy clusters in the early universe has provided independent confirmation of the existence of dark energy. In its absence, gravity's pull should have caused the number of clusters to increase by a factor of 50 over the last 5.5 billion years. What is observed is a factor of 10 increase. "Together with earlier observations... the new data strengthen the suspicion — but do not prove — that dark energy is a weird antigravity called the cosmological constant that was hypothesized and then abandoned by Albert Einstein as a 'blunder' almost a century ago.

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#1

Re: Galaxy Clusters' Stunted Growth Confirms Dark Energy

12/17/2008 10:42 AM

This has interested me of late. It is perhaps beyond my humble understanding. However it seems there are two arguments, yes? There is either a mysterious Dark Energy which is a separate and unknown force in the universe or else we simply don't understand the behavior of gravity across large distances. Isn't the latter more likely?

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#2

Re: Galaxy Clusters' Stunted Growth Confirms Dark Energy

12/18/2008 11:56 PM

The last that I heard "Dark Energy" was the cause of the supposed increase of the rate of expansion. Perhaps I misunderstood the description, but it sounds like the information has reversed that opinion.

Regards Dragon

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