Astronomers Find a Hole in the Universe

[Perky]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/UNIVERSE_HOLE?SITE=CATOR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-08-24-07-45-50
By SETH BORENSTEIN
AP Science Writer



WASHINGTON (AP) -- Astronomers have stumbled upon a tremendous hole in the universe. That's got them scratching their heads about what's just not there. The cosmic blank spot has no stray stars, no galaxies, no sucking black holes, not even mysterious dark matter. It is 1 billion light years across of nothing. That's an expanse of nearly 6 billion trillion miles of emptiness, a University of Minnesota team announced Thursday.

Astronomers have known for many years that there are patches in the universe where nobody's home. In fact, one such place is practically a neighbor, a mere 2 million light years away. But what the Minnesota team discovered, using two different types of astronomical observations, is a void that's far bigger than scientists ever imagined.

"This is 1,000 times the volume of what we sort of expected to see in terms of a typical void," said Minnesota astronomy professor Lawrence Rudnick, author of the paper that will be published in Astrophysical Journal. "It's not clear that we have the right word yet ... This is too much of a surprise."

[panader0]

1. The bass player in our band keeps saying that we blow a hole

in the universe. Could this be the explanation?

[Botany]

2. I guess I know where my lost keys went.

I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in
and stops my mind from wandering
where it will go
I'm filling the cracks that ran though the door
and kept my mind from wandering
where it will go

And it really doesn't matter if I'm wrong
I'm right where I belong
I'm right where I belong
See the people standing there
who disagree and never win
and wonder why they don't get in my door

I'm painting my room in a colorful way,
and when my mind is wandering
there I will go

And it really doesn't matter if I'm wrong
I'm right where I belong
I'm right where I belong
Silly people run around
they worry me and never ask me
why they don't get past my door

I'm taking my time for a number of things
that weren't important yesterday
and I still go

I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in
and stops my mind from wandering
where it will go
where it will go
I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in
and stops my mind from wandering
where it will go

[ProdigalJunkMail]

3. get your thumb off the lens, Norton! n/t

[IDemo]

4. "It's not clear that we have the right word yet..."

I propose "Bushism" :-)

[TornadoTN]

5. Cue Fundies "It's the heaven"

I can hear it now.

[Clark2008]

6. Maybe it is - we don't know that it's not.

Fundies are typically illogical, but this may be one time when they're not.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

7. I'm tellin' ya...

the guy had his thumb over the lens...it's no big deal :evilgrin:

sP

[TornadoTN]

8. Perhaps it is Galactus?

It's just as likely....

[BlooInBloo]

9. EATER OF WORLDS!!!!!

[TornadoTN]

10. Haha! I'm such a comic's nerd

Never could shake the habit from childhood, although today's stories are incredible. Marvel has been tackling real-world issues for the past few years from a progressive standpoint.

So it's not entirely pointless :)

[BlooInBloo]

11. Oh - well - as long as it's not *totally* pointless!

:)

[GreenPartyVoter]

12. There was a void on "ST:Voyager", but it wasn't this big

[TornadoTN]

14. Next up, the heralds of Galactus will appear

[BlooInBloo]

13. There's a HOOOOLLLEEE in the universe, dear Henry, dear Henry....

... There's a HOOOOLLLLEEEE in the universe dear. Henry. A. Hole.

:rofl:

[QueenOfCalifornia]

15. Get out the Harp Music...And your flat daddy cut out of Bush

This summer at Jesus Camp:

Hell has been located - Proof positive that all the Democrats, Muslims and dirty rotton commies die and have a common destination!

Scientists may be baffled but I know someone, who knows someone, who talks to God and that's good enough for me.

[davepdx]

16. My bet is that the film got mixed up

and it is really Bush's head CAT scan.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

17. Old news, Uranus was discovered in 1781. -nt