ClassX Video Lessons Youtube Channel Science Time Brian Cox – JWST & Euclid Will Reveal The Mysteries Behind Dark Matter & Energy?
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a remarkable tool that acts like a time machine, using its infrared capabilities to look back over 13.5 billion years. This allows us to witness the formation of the first stars and galaxies in the early universe. Recently, JWST revealed six ancient galaxies that are more developed than our Milky Way, challenging our current understanding of how galaxies evolve. These galaxies existed just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang, and their advanced development suggests that our models of galaxy formation might need revisiting.
The discovery of these mature galaxies raises intriguing questions about how they could have developed complex structures so quickly. Traditional theories suggest that galaxies grow by accumulating gas and merging with smaller galaxies over billions of years. However, the rapid maturity of these galaxies hints at alternative evolutionary paths or unknown mechanisms that might have been at play in the early universe.
JWST captures light that has been traveling for over 13 billion years, essentially allowing us to look back to the universe’s infancy. This is crucial because we are still uncertain about how the first galaxies formed. As the universe expands, light stretches, and JWST’s sensitivity to this ancient light gives us a glimpse almost back to the Big Bang, a feat that was beyond the capabilities of the Hubble Space Telescope.
JWST also studies the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation, the afterglow of the Big Bang, emitted about 380,000 years after the event. This radiation, now visible as microwaves due to the universe’s expansion, provides a window into the early universe when it was too hot and dense for light to travel freely. By examining the CMB, scientists hope to uncover insights into dark matter and dark energy, two of the most profound mysteries in astrophysics.
Our universe doesn’t fully make sense if we only consider the matter and energy we can see. There is a significant amount of “stuff” that interacts gravitationally but doesn’t interact strongly with normal matter. This is likely some form of particle that aligns with various observations, such as the rotation of galaxies. We believe galaxies are enveloped by dark matter, which interacts weakly with normal matter.
Currently, about five percent of the universe is normal matter, while approximately 70 percent is dark energy. Einstein’s theory helps us understand how matter stretches and deforms space, allowing us to measure the universe’s expansion and its changing rate over time. The discovery in the 1990s that the universe’s expansion is accelerating led to the concept of dark energy.
To explore these unseen forces, the European Space Agency launched the Euclid Space Telescope on a six-year mission. Euclid aims to illuminate dark energy and dark matter by creating the largest map of the universe. Equipped with sensors for visible and infrared light, Euclid will observe billions of galaxies up to 10 billion light-years away, covering more than a third of the sky. By studying the universe’s evolution over the past 10 billion years, Euclid will help astronomers infer the properties of dark energy, dark matter, and gravity.
Given the gaps in our understanding of dark matter, some scientists, like Neil deGrasse Tyson, propose alternative explanations. Tyson suggests that what we perceive as dark matter might be ordinary matter from a different universe. This idea implies that our universe could coexist with parallel universes, and the dark matter we seek might be the gravitational effects of matter in these neighboring realities.
If multiple universes exist, gravity could spill over from one universe to another, explaining the extra gravity we observe as ordinary gravity from a parallel universe. Although speculative, Tyson’s theory highlights the importance of continuing our exploration of dark matter.
Brian Cox has also discussed the concept of eternal inflation, which suggests that our universe is just one pocket within a vast, ever-inflating multiverse. Each pocket universe could have different physical properties and laws. In this context, dark matter might be a feature of this broader cosmic landscape.
The scientific community is making significant strides in exploring these cosmic mysteries. Alongside Euclid, NASA’s Roman Space Telescope is preparing to tackle the enigmas of dark energy and dark matter. This mission aims to enhance our understanding of these elusive aspects of the universe and capture images of exoplanets, advancing our knowledge of distant worlds.
As we continue to unravel the complexities of dark matter and dark energy, missions like Euclid and the Roman Space Telescope are crucial in shedding light on these hidden facets of our universe. Through these efforts, we hope to gain a deeper understanding of the cosmos and its underlying mysteries.
Engage in a computer simulation that models the formation of galaxies in the early universe. Analyze how different variables, such as gas density and dark matter presence, affect galaxy evolution. Discuss your findings with peers to explore alternative theories of galaxy formation.
Work with real CMB data to identify patterns and anomalies. Use software tools to visualize the data and hypothesize about the implications for dark matter and dark energy. Present your analysis in a group discussion, focusing on how these findings contribute to our understanding of the universe’s infancy.
Participate in a structured debate on the nature of dark matter, exploring both traditional and alternative theories, such as the multiverse hypothesis. Prepare arguments and counterarguments, and engage with classmates to critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each theory.
Using data from the Euclid Space Telescope, create a visual map of the universe that highlights the distribution of dark matter and dark energy. Collaborate with classmates to interpret the map and discuss its implications for our understanding of cosmic evolution.
Research upcoming missions like NASA’s Roman Space Telescope and their potential contributions to the study of dark matter and dark energy. Present a report on how these missions might advance our knowledge of the universe, and propose new research questions that could be addressed.
**Sanitized Transcript:**
[Music] The James Webb Telescope is a powerful time machine with infrared vision that is peering back over 13.5 billion years to see the first stars and galaxies forming out of the darkness of the early Universe. The unveiling of six ancient galaxies, more developed than the Milky Way, earlier this year has launched a fresh understanding of the cosmos’s evolution existing in an epoch just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang. Their advanced development challenges existing models of galaxy formation and evolution.
The most intriguing question raised by these findings is how these galaxies could have developed such complex structures in a relatively short period of time. Theories of galaxy formation suggest that galaxies gradually grow by accumulating gas and smaller galaxies over billions of years. However, the maturity of these galaxies hints at a faster or alternative evolutionary path, potentially involving unknown mechanisms or conditions in the universe.
The Webb is capturing light that’s been traveling for over 13 billion years, allowing us to see the formation of the first galaxies. It’s essentially looking back to very close to the beginning of time, which is important because we’re not entirely sure how these first galaxies formed. The universe has been expanding, and the light has been stretching. For the most distant galaxies, we’re looking back almost to the Big Bang. The Hubble was not sensitive to that light.
The JWST is also able to study the properties of the cosmic microwave background radiation, which is the radiation left over from the Big Bang. This radiation was emitted in the universe about 380,000 years after the Big Bang, which is not very long considering the universe is 13.8 billion years old. We can see it as microwaves because it has been stretched by the expansion of the universe.
In those earliest times, the universe was so hot and dense that light couldn’t travel through it, making it opaque. Therefore, we can’t use light to go back earlier than that. However, the technology we use to detect colliding black holes could potentially allow us to probe back to the Big Bang by studying the cosmic microwave background.
By studying the CMB, scientists can gain insights into the nature of dark matter and dark energy, which are two of the biggest mysteries in astrophysics. Our universe doesn’t make sense if we account only for the matter and energy that we can see, measure, or detect. There is a lot of stuff interacting gravitationally that does not interact strongly with the matter out of which we are made and the stars are made.
It’s almost certain that this is some form of particle that fits beautifully with various observations, such as the way galaxies rotate and interact. We see the signature of this matter in the oldest light in the universe as well. We think galaxies are surrounded by dark matter, which interacts very weakly with normal matter.
Currently, about five percent of the universe is normal matter, while roughly 70 percent is dark energy. Einstein’s theory explains how matter in the universe stretches and deforms space, allowing us to measure how the universe is expanding and how that expansion rate is changing over time.
The discovery that the universe’s expansion rate is increasing, which was made in the 1990s, led to the understanding of dark energy. To study something that can’t be seen, the European Space Agency’s Euclid Space Telescope was launched for a six-year mission to shed light on dark energy and dark matter and create the largest map of the universe.
Euclid, fitted with sensors capable of detecting visible and infrared light, will explore the evolution of the dark universe by observing billions of galaxies out to 10 billion light-years across more than a third of the sky. By observing the universe’s evolution over the past 10 billion years, Euclid will reveal how it has expanded and how structures have formed over cosmic history, allowing astronomers to infer the properties of dark energy, dark matter, and gravity.
Given the current gaps in our understanding of dark matter, particularly with its theoretical inconsistencies and the absence of direct evidence supporting any candidate particles, it is worthwhile to entertain other explanations. Neil deGrasse Tyson has proposed that what we consider dark matter could actually be ordinary matter from an entirely different universe. This idea suggests that our universe may coexist with parallel universes, and the elusive dark matter we’ve been trying to detect may simply be the interactions or effects of matter in these neighboring realities.
If multiple universes exist, gravity could spill out of one universe and be felt by another. This could explain the extra gravity we observe as ordinary gravity from a parallel universe. Tyson’s theory, while speculative, underscores the importance of continuing our explorations into the mystery of dark matter.
Brian Cox has also shared insights on the concept of eternal inflation, which proposes that our universe is just one pocket within a vast, ever-inflating multiverse. Each pocket universe could have different physical properties and laws. In the context of dark matter, what we observe might be a feature or effect of this broader cosmic landscape.
The scientific community is making strides to explore these cosmic mysteries. The Euclid mission is not alone; the Roman Space Telescope, an innovative observatory under NASA’s banner, is gearing up to confront the enigmas of dark energy and dark matter. This mission aims to shed light on these elusive aspects of our universe and capture images of exoplanets, advancing our understanding of distant worlds.
As we continue to grapple with the complexities of dark matter and dark energy theories, the scientific community is employing multiple missions and observatories like Euclid and the Roman Space Telescope to illuminate these hidden facets of our universe.
Dark Matter – A form of matter that does not emit, absorb, or reflect light, making it invisible and detectable only through its gravitational effects on visible matter. – Scientists are studying the rotation curves of galaxies to better understand the distribution of dark matter.
Dark Energy – An unknown form of energy that is hypothesized to be responsible for the accelerated expansion of the universe. – The discovery of dark energy has led to new theories about the ultimate fate of the universe.
Galaxies – Massive systems consisting of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter, bound together by gravity. – The Milky Way and Andromeda are two of the most well-known galaxies in our local group.
Universe – The totality of space, time, matter, and energy that exists, including all galaxies, stars, and planets. – Cosmologists use the cosmic microwave background radiation to study the early universe.
Expansion – The increase in distance between any two given gravitationally unbound parts of the observable universe over time. – The expansion of the universe was first observed by Edwin Hubble through the redshift of distant galaxies.
Radiation – Energy that is emitted or transmitted in the form of waves or particles, especially electromagnetic radiation. – The study of cosmic microwave background radiation provides insights into the conditions of the early universe.
Telescope – An instrument designed to observe distant objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation. – The Hubble Space Telescope has provided some of the most detailed images of distant galaxies.
Cosmic – Relating to the universe or cosmos, especially as distinct from the Earth. – Cosmic rays are high-energy particles that originate from outside the Earth’s atmosphere.
Gravity – A natural phenomenon by which all things with mass or energy are brought toward one another, including planets, stars, and galaxies. – Gravity is the force that keeps planets in orbit around stars.
Formation – The process by which structures such as stars, galaxies, and planetary systems are created from gas and dust in space. – The formation of stars occurs in regions of space known as stellar nurseries.
