What would you like to know about your Universe?
This poll is now closed. The most popular question was "What happened before the Big Bang?". We will publish an article and a podcast with an answer in the middle of March. At the same time we will launch our next Universe poll, so watch this space.
Do you ever look at the night sky and wonder where it all comes from, where it is going and what we are doing right in the middle of it? Do you wonder if there's life out there, or why the sky isn't bright with all the stars that are in it?
If yes, then now's your chance to put your questions to world-leading astronomers and cosmologists, including Astronomer Royal Martin Rees and author and cosmologist John D Barrow. From now until the end of the year Plus will hold regular online polls to find out what your most burning questions are, and do our best to find an answer with the help of experts in the field. You'll be able to read and hear what they have to say in Plus articles and podcasts, and there'll be plenty of room for discussion on our blog.
Our first online poll — one of a total of seven — opens today. It will remain open for a month and we'll publish the answer to the question that proves most popular in the middle of March. This is your chance to get involved with the most fascinating science of them all (except for maths of course), and it's our contribution to the International Year of Astronomy 2009. So get voting now, and if your question isn't on the list above, send it to us in a comment on this blog, and we'll include it in the next poll. Happy voting!
Labels: IYA2009
posted by Plus @ 3:47 PM 
23 Comments:
- At 8:10 PM,
Kuldeep said... -
Is the universe finite or infinite?
What curvature (positive, negative or zero) does space have? - At 8:55 PM,
John
said... -
If the universe is expanding, it must have some sort of boundary, I assume. If this is so, what exactly 'is' this boundary and what is beyond it!?
- At 12:18 AM, Stephen said...
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When are scientist going to drop the arrogant assumption that there was nothing before the big bang?
They expect us through blind faith to accept the theory that everything in the universe, matter, energy and even time, was
created with the big bang. I have been berated by many so called learned ones for even suggesting another theory, that the
big bang was an issolated incident in our local area of a universe that has always been here and goes for ever and will be here
forever?
It's only a few hundred years ago they thought the earth was flat, until we were able to see beyond the horizon. Looks like some
things never change.
clear skies - At 12:33 AM, said...
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How do we know that the speed of light is constant in all regions of the Universe?
- At 4:05 AM, Chowok said...
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What is a multiverse? Is there any other Universe beyond?
- At 6:44 AM, G S
S Murthy said...
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Human brain and what we call human mind is part of this universe. This tiny part of the universe tries to work out a scheme of things in which its observations through sensory perception fit in as neatly as possible.Idea of bigbang and theory of Everything are all parts of this scheme. Can man simulate this on a man-made machine, I mean a computer?
GSS Murthy - At 10:03 AM, said...
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Thanks for all the questions! If yours doesn't get answered in the course of this poll, then we'll include it in the next.
- At 7:40 PM, Twm said...
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I am very interested in the hypothetical bucket in which one could float Saturn. As we know, any other of the known planets would promptly sink.
This bucket would have some very interesting Properties. To begin with, Saturn has appreciable Gravitational Attraction, so the Bucket must be in some gravitational field, or the water would presumably be 'syphoned off' to form part of Saturn's planetary mass.
The bucket would have to be at least 60000km or so deep, or Saturn would 'ground' on the bottom. So the pressure at that depth would be immense. What would be the properties of water at that depth? - At 12:19 AM, Quantum_Flux said...
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Can the Big Bang be replicated on a smaller scale? Can that amount of energy be used for rocket propulsion or powering cities?
- At 12:20 AM, Quantum_Flux said...
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Does the Big Bang prove that perpetual motion is possible?
- At 12:59 AM, Keith Mansfield
said...
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If light can't (by definition) escape from a black hole, then how can gravity? If gravitational force can be transmitted across an event horizon, how is that done?
- At 8:51 PM, said...
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What is dark matter and what purpose does it serve in the universe as a whole?
- At 5:17 PM, apd said...
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What was there before the Big Bang?
Isn't a modified version of the gravity laws a more credible explanation to the behavior of starts attributed to presence of something unknown (dark matter/dark energy)? - At 7:13 PM, said...
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What is the answer to life, the universe and everything
- At 9:08 PM, Plus said...
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What do you get when you multiply six by nine?... hmmm....
- At 1:23 PM, Shaun said...
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If you look at the night sky you are looking at the past. How can the size of a telescope affect how far back in time you can see the universe?
- At 9:23 PM, said...
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why are all the planets round or oval.....why not any other shape...will these shape change or alter a few thousand million years after ??
- At 6:59 AM, Quantum_Flux said...
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Oh, one more why not. To what degree can electrical forces be cited as dark matter/energy sources?
- At 2:19 AM, james said...
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if at the time of bigbang all was energy (no mass implying no gravity) and the expansion and cooling converts energy to mass (increasing gravity) then at the end of this process when all is mass and gravity will be at its maximum, why then do we need dark matter when we still have light matter (energy) yet to be converted?
- At 4:58 PM, Fivish said...
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Scientist are afraid to say they dont know. Because of this they invent ludicrous theories and fiddle about with them when they cant make them fit reality. Eventually they will come up with a new theory which subsumes previous theories without the embarrasement of being totaly wrong. They are doing this with global warming, now called climate change, as the earth is actually colling!
- At 8:27 PM, said...
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What would be the basis to traverse time, if any, if you think someday of building a time machine??? Will our watching the universe as it was some time before, play any role???
- At 6:55 AM, said...
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hi i am not a cosmologist but i would like to ask if my theory is correct I am assuming the big bang big crunch theory is true and the universe is expanding faster because the suns are still expending their outward energy as they burn out and turn into black holes expansion will slow and reverse and i am assuming that dark matter is something similar to or actually is black holes starting to form in the center am I right or do you even know?
- At 10:59 AM, said...
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Hello Rowancasey,
you can find answers to these questions in our articles and pocasts listed here: http://plus.maths.org/blog/labels/IYA2009.html
Happy reading!