From series: Great questions cosmology: “I wouldn’t be surprised if re were parallel universes” why universe exists? If you are looking for answers, you will find furr questions. Neverless, three researchers dared to talk about Big Bang, waves and wormholes. by Alina Schadwinkel October 16, 2017, 20:15 Uhr80 comments The universe is also difficult to explore because we are in middle and part of it. We can’t look at it from outside. © Mads Perch/Getty Images

What was before Big Bang? Why did big Bang ever exist, how can something spread out of nowhere? And why is re something and not nothing? No topic employs our readers more than universe, as our call has shown. For three hours, researchers have refore tried to answer question on time online: Why is re universe?

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“In se fundamental questions, I personally do not always ask myself what answer might look like,” wrote astronomer Florian Freistetter, “but above all wher we are fundamentally capable of answering se questions.” After all, all three bloggers equal at beginning: very much in cosmology is at least controversial, if not completely uncertain.

There is, for example, question of form of universe. The problem: We are in middle, so it cannot be seen from outside. Accordingly, possibilities to explore its form are manifold: for example, using geometry that we learn in school – “There is angular sum in triangle 180 degrees, and parallel straight lines never intersect”, explains astrophysicist Markus Pössel. Or, shape is three-dimensional version of what we know as a spherical surface. Or: It is ” three-dimensional version of what we know as a saddle area”. And n re are still different possibilities on a large scale.

Equally controversial is wher something was before Big Bang. Because how can something arise from nothing? And if re was something before, what was that? This is a question that must inevitably have an unsatisfactory answer, says Freistetter: “There is only choice between ‘ something ‘ and ‘ nothing ‘.” If one decides for something, for example anor universe – suppose re are several universes: “Then of course next question immediately follows what was before this something.” In end, question of that before was never answered.

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And n re is subject of dark matter – “again such a misleading concept”, as astrophysicist Carolin Winston stressed. Just as Big Bang was not an audible bang, re is nothing tangible in this case – even if word “matter” suggests that. “We realize that re is obviously something that wields gravity,” she explained; In outer areas of Milky Way and in or galaxies. You gave a name to this whole, to be able to research it. But “we simply do not know what dark matter is about”.

But who now believes that we know little to nothing about universe that is mistaken. With development of sensitive cameras, high-performance telescopes and or technical achievements that help to quickly evaluate mass data, cosmology has finally reached far-reaching discoveries.

The last big cracker: detection of gravitational waves. Albert Einstein had foretold waves with his general ory of relativity. For about 100 years y were pure ory. Despite intensive search, y remained hidden from astrophysicists, 2015 but n ir discovery could be announced. This year re was Nobel Prize in physics.

“With gravitational waves, we can mainly see things that are not accessible to normal astronomy,” said Freistetter. With m, for example, black holes could be examined more closely, as well as above-mentioned “ominous dark matter”.

In this respect, blogger conversation made it clear on one hand what researchers currently do not know about universe. On or hand, however, how much astronomers and astrophysicists have discovered in a very short time, and that almost every day re are new findings to be expected.

At moment, researchers are cheering for detection of gravitational waves that have arisen in a collision between two neutron stars – this means that a new era in astronomy has been established, it is said in professional circles. This would be to be topped with waves whose source is Big Bang itself.

Wher it is to be reckoned with? “So far we have been practically spoilt by science,” wrote Freistetter. Recent answers to ever more fundamental questions have been found. “But who knows if this will always go on like this?”

Here you will find complete Liveblog about big questions to science for reading.