What is the universe

what is the universe

¿What is the universe? It is one of the most asked questions by scientists in all of history. Really, the universe is everything, without any exceptions. We can include in the universe matter, energy, space and time and everything that exists. However, when talking about what the universe is, more reference is made to the outer space of planet Earth.

In this article we are going to tell you what the universe is, its characteristics and some theories.

What is the universe

what is the universe and galaxies

The universe is huge, but it may not be infinite. If so, there would be infinite matter in an infinite star, which is not the case. On the contrary, as regards matter, it is primarily empty space. Some people even claim that the universe we live in is not real, it is a hologram.

The known universe contains galaxies, galaxy clusters, and structures larger called superclusters, as well as intergalactic matter. Despite the advanced technology available today, we still do not know exactly its size. Matter is not distributed uniformly, but is concentrated in specific places: galaxies, stars, planets, etc. However, 90% of existence is assumed to be dark matter that we cannot observe.

The universe has at least four known dimensions: three in space (length, height, and width) and one in time. Due to the dominant force of gravity, it sticks together and moves continuously. Compared to the sky, our planet is very small. We are part of the solar system, lost in the arms of the Milky Way. The Milky Way has 100.000 billion stars, but it is just one of hundreds of billions of galaxies that make up the solar system.

Formation and destruction

The Big Bang theory explains how it was formed. This theory that about 13.700 billion years ago, matter had an infinite density and temperature. There was a violent explosion and the density and temperature of the universe have been decreasing since then.

The Big Bang is a singularity, an exception that cannot be explained by the laws of physics. We can know what happened from the beginning, but there is still no scientific explanation for moment zero and size zero. Until this mystery is unraveled, scientists will not be able to explain with complete certainty what the universe is.

Currently, there are a series of theories that after a hypothesis explain how they think the end of the universe will be. To begin with, we can talk about the model of the bigfreeze, which dictates that the continued expansion of the universe will cause (within a billion years) the extinction of all stars, resulting in a cold and dark universe.

We can also mention the theory of Big rip (or the great tear) that proposes that the more the universe expands, the more dark energy is generated, reaching a point in time when dark energy will defeat gravity, breaking the balance that is present between both forces and generating disintegration. of any kind of matter.

Importance of dark matter

dark matter

In astrophysics, cosmic components other than baryonic matter (ordinary matter), neutrinos, and dark energy are called dark matter. Its name comes from the fact that it does not emit electromagnetic radiation or interact with electromagnetic radiation in any way, making it invisible throughout the entire spectrum of electromagnetic radiation. However, it should not be confused with antimatter.

Dark matter represents 25% of the total mass of the universe, due to the influence of its gravitation. There are strong signs of its existence, which are detectable in the astronomical objects that surround it. In fact, the possibility of its existence was first proposed in 1933, when the Swiss astronomer and physicist Fritz Zwicky pointed out that "invisible mass" affects the orbital speed of galaxy clusters. Since then, many other observations have consistently pointed out that it may exist.

Little is known about dark matter. Its composition is a mystery, but one possibility is that it is composed of ordinary heavy neutrinos or recently proposed elementary particles (such as WIMPs or axons), just to name a few. The clear answer about its composition is one of the main questions of modern cosmology and particle physics.

The existence of dark matter is important to understand the Big Bang model of the formation of the universe and the behavior patterns of space objects. Scientific calculations show that there is much more matter in the universe than can be observed. For example, the predicted behavior of galaxies often changes for no apparent reason, unless there is a possibility that unobservable matter exerts a gravitational shift on visible matter.

Antimatter and dark energy in the universe

dark energy

We must not confuse dark matter with antimatter. The latter is a form of ordinary matter, like the matter that constitutes us, but it is composed of elementary particles with opposite electrical signs: positive / negative.

An anti-electron is a particle of antimatter, which corresponds to an electron, but has a positive charge rather than a negative charge. Antimatter does not exist in a stable form because it annihilates with matter (which exists in greater proportion), so it does not organize itself into observable atoms and molecules. Antimatter can only be obtained through particle accelerators. However, its production is complicated and expensive.

Dark energy is a form of energy that exists throughout the universe and tends to accelerate its expansion by repelling gravity or force. It is estimated that 68% of the energetic matter in the universe belongs to this type, and it is a very uniform form of energy that does not interact with any other fundamental force in the universe, which is why it is called "dark". But, in principle, it has nothing to do with dark matter.

I hope that with this information you can learn more about what the universe is, its origin and its characteristics.


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