Thread: Dark Matter

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Nope, I would rather just wait until they either prove it or disprove it...
Then again maybe Dark Matter is a God????? or maybe "Heaven" resides inside Dark Matter???? So many things to ponder Like do I mod this blade or do I leave it Vintage so many things that need my pondering

Mod it! You know you want to

Not to burst anyone's bubble, but the presence of dark matter in the universe IS observable. In fact, it's the observations that led scientists to conclude that there is such a thing as dark matter. To put it simply, we can calculate how much matter there is in a given galaxy by adding up the amount of observable matter (basically, stars), and we can calculate the rate of rotation of each galaxy. The problem is that the rate of rotation and the amount of matter are related to each other by some very basic laws of physics, but the observations of matter and rotation do not add up, no matter where you look. Which is why people suspect that there is some other large quantity of matter in each galaxy that is affecting the rate of rotation but otherwise is not part of the galaxy's stars, hence dark matter.

In other words, the mystery is really limited what dark matter actually is. And there wouldn't be much of a mystery there either if we had practical ways to travel interstellar distances, but right now, basically the only way that we know what something outside our solar system is composed of is by observing its radiation, and there is apparently no radiation from dark matter (that's the dark part) so we just don't know what it is.

Now, if you want to talk about a physical phenomenon that is analogous to God, maybe you should stick to dark energy, but I digress . . . !

Originally Posted by JeffE

Not to burst anyone's bubble, but the presence of dark matter in the universe IS observable. In fact, it's the observations that led scientists to conclude that there is such a thing as dark matter. To put it simply, we can calculate how much matter there is in a given galaxy by adding up the amount of observable matter (basically, stars), and we can calculate the rate of rotation of each galaxy. The problem is that the rate of rotation and the amount of matter are related to each other by some very basic laws of physics, but the observations of matter and rotation do not add up, no matter where you look. Which is why people suspect that there is some other large quantity of matter in each galaxy that is affecting the rate of rotation but otherwise is not part of the galaxy's stars, hence dark matter.

In other words, the mystery is really limited what dark matter actually is. And there wouldn't be much of a mystery there either if we had practical ways to travel interstellar distances, but right now, basically the only way that we know what something outside our solar system is composed of is by observing its radiation, and there is apparently no radiation from dark matter (that's the dark part) so we just don't know what it is.

Now, if you want to talk about a physical phenomenon that is analogous to God, maybe you should stick to dark energy, but I digress . . . !

And this is part of my argument. It doesn't add up.

So, with some hand waving, scientists say "let there be dark matter", and behold it was good, because it filled in the missing blanks on their calculations.....

So, there could possibly be such a thing as dark matter, or perhaps the original calculations are in error in some regard when dealing with things on that scale?

Originally Posted by Seraphim

And this is part of my argument. It doesn't add up.

So, with some hand waving, scientists say "let there be dark matter", and behold it was good, because it filled in the missing blanks on their calculations.....

So, there could possibly be such a thing as dark matter, or perhaps the original calculations are in error in some regard when dealing with things on that scale?

If you are trying to explain the existence of God(s) with dark matter, you are doing yourself a bad favor.
There are surely blanks, and even errors in scientific calculators, but as the time goes by they will get explanation.
That is not the same with religion. People in faith do not have blanks or errors.

I never repeat myself and now i do it again Faith doesn't need scientific proof. All you need to do is believe and that's it.
That is not the same with sciences. All the blanks and errors need reassessment and more calculations. Not closing eyes.
Those who in faith believe there was a dude who could wake up people from the death. Those who rely on science know he had a defibrillator.

Originally Posted by Sailor

If you are trying to explain the existence of God(s) with dark matter, you are doing yourself a bad favor.
There are surely blanks, and even errors in scientific calculators, but as the time goes by they will get explanation.
That is not the same with religion. People in faith do not have blanks or errors.

I never repeat myself and now i do it again Faith doesn't need scientific proof. All you need to do is believe and that's it.
That is not the same with sciences. All the blanks and errors need reassessment and more calculations. Not closing eyes.
Those who in faith believe there was a dude who could wake up people from the death. Those who rely on science know he had a defibrillator.

There was a couple who underwent fertility testing, and were said to not be able to have any children. The woman was 42 at the time, with a large fibroid tumor on her uterus. The levels were so low that they wouldn't even approve hormone shots, in vitro, or any of the other methods employed in these situations. The couple went to quite a number of top-flight specialst doctors in the field, always with the same result-"no kids, learn to live with that".

They went to a monastery where they had a piece of the Cross of Christ, and were blessed with it. Soon thereafter, they became pregnant and had a son!

"Coincidence! Surely a statistical anomaly!"


Yet, the couple again visits a monastery to ask for prayers for another child. The week they return home they discover they are again pregnant. The woman was now 44, do you think her scientifically measureable fertility levels had increased in the intervening two years? In addition, the woman never ovulated again after the birth of her second child.


Not just a story I read somewhere, because this is what happened to me and my wife, personally.


But, if you want to bank on the scientific knowledge available on the 4.6% of what is possibly observable, and diregard the fact that 95.4% is truly "unknown" in scientific terms, then, as you say, reassesment may be order!

Timely..... this here was on NPR's Morning Edition this very day.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Timely..... this here was on NPR's Morning Edition this very day.

Yes, I heard that thismorning while driving to work.

Originally Posted by Seraphim

So, with some hand waving, scientists say "let there be dark matter", and behold it was good, because it filled in the missing blanks on their calculations.....

No. The certain presence of dark matter is also observable through gravitational lensing.

YouTube - Hubblecast 05: Hubble finds ring of dark matter