Top 10 Space Mysteries

Advances in the fields of astronomy, mathematics, and physics has allowed us the tools to explore space more ‘in depth’. I find that life beyond our earth is not a maybe but a for sure. Buddha is clear on other existences, dimensions and life.  As science advances it will go very well side by side with Buddhism.

There are some interesting discoveries I’ve posted here. Take the time to study them and open your minds further… I love presenting my blog friends with interesting reads, facts, paranormal, dharma, thoughts, the past, history, strange phenomena’s, animal causes, and my works… just enjoy… Om Ah Ra Ba Za Na Dee…..

Tsem Rinpoche

#10 Simulacrum in Eagle Nebula

One of the strangest photos that has ever been taken of space is that of the Eagle Nebula. The photo itself is supposed to show the birth of a star from the gaseous clouds. However, when the photo was shown on CNN, hundreds of calls came in from people reporting they could see a face in the cloud. When the color of the photo was adjusted, a large human form seemed to appear within the cloud. Scientist have not been able to explain this phenomena (though listverse very possible has on this list – see item 1). You can read more about it here.

This photo, taken on 1 April 1995 was named one of the best photos ever taken by the Hubble telescope. It shows the simulacrum of the Eagle Nebula. Stars are “born” here in each of the “fingers” of this formation. Therefore, this image has also been called “The Pillars of Creation.”

This image captures our imagination, not just for its beauty alone … but also because of an intriguing element hidden within the image. When this image was released by CNN on 2 November 1995, calls came in from people everywhere, claiming to see a mysterious face in the clouds of the nebula.

Can you see the face?

Look in the section of the nebula circled below..

Is this evidence of an extraterrestrial presence, or is it simply an illusion? There is no way to know for sure… In 2007 it was announced that the Pillars were destroyed by a shockwave from a supernova … and whatever was there, was gone before we ever saw it. According to scientists, we won’t be able to see its absence for another 1,000 years due to the limited speed of light. Nothing lasts forever, even the great birthplaces of the stars.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillars_of_Creation/

#9 Where Did Galaxies Come From?

Science has only recently been able to explain where the stars and planets came from. Now, scientists have turned their attention to a much bigger mystery, where did galaxies come from? What is known is that galaxies are not scattered randomly throughout space. Rather, they are found in clusters, known as “super clusters”.

Scientists have two main theories to attempt to explain galaxy formation. First, the gas left over from the big bang clustered together to form galaxies, in which stars and planets were born. Second is that gas from the big bang created stars and planets all over the universe, and they migrated through gravity into galaxies. Neither theory has been universally accepted yet.

Some scientists have seen an interesting pattern in the distribution of galaxies across the universe… they see this distribution forming fractals, which are geometric shapes where each smaller part approximately resembles a reduced-sized copy of the whole.

These geometric formations can been seen throughout nature in places like mountain ranges, rivers, trees, and plant life. How interesting that these patterns appear to extend from the smallest things here on Earth to the greater structure of our Universe as a whole.

Source:

http://classes.yale.edu/fractals/panorama/Astronomy/Galaxies/Galaxies.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractal#In_nature

#8 Other Earths

Our star, the sun, is just one of trillions in the universe. When you look at the fact that our star has eight planets, and do the math, it tells you that it is possible for there to be eight times as many planets in the universe than stars; an astounding figure. Is it not possible that just one of those planets might have life on it?

It is a fact that, since the year 2000, hundreds of extra solar planets have been discovered orbiting distant stars. Some of these have been found to be earth- like, such as Gliese 581d, a planet believed to have liquid water on its surface. Could it possibly contain life? Hopefully with advances in technology in the next decade, we will soon know the answer. Till then, it remains one of space’s greatest mysteries.

The star Gliese 581 is a red dwarf in the Libra constellation. It is the 87th closest star to our sun, making it a neighbour in astronomical terms.  There are several planets that encircle the star, which were found when scientists noticed the star wobbled slightly … this wobbling is caused by the gravitational pull of the orbiting planets.

Gliese 581d is about five times the size of the Earth, and circles its star, Gliese 581, very closely… completing an orbit in just 13 days. It never gets too hot or cold though, because Gliese 581d orbits a red dwarf star, much smaller than our sun.  The average temperature there stays between 34 – 104 degrees Fahrenheit … much like our Earth. In addition, there are several other potentially habitable stars in the Gliese system.

Source:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/04/090421-most-earthlike-planet.html

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9796321

#7 Are There Other Universe?

This is one of the more controversial arguments out there. The theory is that there are an infinite number of universes, each governed by its own set of laws and physics. Many scientists dismiss this argument as nothing more than speculation, as there is no evidence or mathematical law that allows for the existence of other universes. However, believers in this theory have argued that there are none that disprove it either. This is one mystery which can only be solved if we were able to travel there. However, with the expansion of the universe, it is unlikely humanity will ever find the answer.

Scientists have recently made an exciting discovery that gives some evidence to the theory that other universes may exist. A pattern of concentric circles have been found in the cosmic microwave background (the “echo” of the big bang). Astronomers believe that this may be evidence of “bruising” from contact with another universe…

Basically, the theory is that the universe may run in a cycle … when one ends another begins … and each old universe is contained within the new one. There is another theory that there are many universes, each of which exists in a kind of cosmic bubble … these bubbles jostle into each other and create these bruises as a result.

These are some of the very first discoveries regarding the existence of other universes. It is exciting to think what we may find as the research in this area matures.

Source:

http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/26132/

#6 Dark Matter

Albert Einstein’s equation e = mc² is perhaps the best known equation of the century. However when applied to space, an anomaly occurs. When we use it to determine how much matter the universe should have, we realize that we have only found four percent of the matter in the universe! Where is the rest of it? Many believe it is in the form of dark matter. Where is this dark matter? It’s everywhere, wherever there is no visible matter. Scientists have yet to show any conclusive proof that dark matter does in fact exist. The fact that you can’t see it, touch it, and light and radio waves pass right through it undeterred makes it extremely hard to detect.

A couple of good videos:

Or view the video on the server at: http://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/Dark_Matter_3D_Map.flv

http://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/WhatIsDarkMatter.flv

Or view the video at BigThink.com : http://bigthink.com/ideas/24602

We know that the matter that we see must only make up about 5% of the matter in the Universe … what makes up the rest is a big question. Scientists believe that about 25% of this missing space is dark matter.

Dark matter should not be confused with regular matter that is simply “dark.”  Dark matter cannot be detected by regular means, but scientists know that it is there through special calculations. Many theories exist regarding what dark matter actually is, or isn’t… However, one thing is for sure… the existence of dark matter really shows us how much we still have to learn about the workings of the universe.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_matter#External_links/

http://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/what-is-dark-energy/

#5 Mars/Earth Connection

When talking about life on other planets, some say we need go no further than our own solar system. Mars has always been thought to harbour life by many conspiracy theorists, saying that NASA is covering it up. Many photos have also called into question the possibility of civilization on Mars, such as the face on Mars, pyramids on Mars, and the photo of what appears to be an ape-like figure sitting on a rock on Mars.

While scientists have come out to debunk these photos, they have also admitted that they believe liquid oceans once covered the surface of Mars before its magnetic field disappeared. Is it possible that life did indeed once exist? The current missions to Mars hope to answer this question.

Recently, NASA has made the exciting discovery that water may have existed on Mars when the Mars Rover became stuck in the mud! This mud was most likely formed from melting snow…  and NASA experts concluded that, “It seems likely the region (on Mars)… may have likewise supported a habitable environment.”

A much more controversial discovery by the rover is an amazing photo from Mars’ surface that appears to show a female figure. Some people have analyzed this photo and swear that it is a human figure, while others claim that it is simply an optical illusion… What do you think?

Source:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-509693/Life-Mars-Amazing-photos-Nasa-probe-reveal-mystery-figure-Red-Planet.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/8095368/Nasa-uncovers-new-life-on-Mars-evidence-after-rover-got-stuck-in-the-mud.html

#4 UFO Sightings by NASA Astronauts

NASA astronauts are some of the most highly trained and specialized people in the world. Often they are expert scientists that can explain almost anything. So when they see something they can’t explain, you can bet it is going to raise eyebrows. One of the most famous incidents occurred on a live broadcast on NBC in 1963.

Major Gordon Cooper was at the end of his 22nd orbit solo journey around the earth when he said that out of one of his windows he could see a glowing green object fast approaching. The object then made a sharp turn and shot away. He was sure he was not seeing things, as the radar in his spacecraft picked up the object as well. Upon his return to Earth, interviewers wanted to ask him about the object. However, NASA officials would not allow it. You can read about this and other astronaut sightings at this website.

Some of these sightings have been captured on camera, such as in this video:

Or view the video on the server at: http://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/STS80_UFO_BestHighQualityVersionYet.flv

In this video, a UFO appears to make a sharp right turn, take position, and then is joined by other UFOs…

Other conversations between astronauts and mission control seem to confirm that the astronauts were seeing UFOs. Check out this excellent video that shows some of the transcripts of conversations between astronauts on NASA’s GEMINI mission. Gemini was one of the first missions into space before the lunar missions.

Or view the video on the server at: http://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/NASAGeminiUFOSightingsAstronautVTRTranscriptsFrom.flv

Yet another exciting video showing some the anomolies caught by astronauts on film and tape:

Or view the video on the server at: http://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/AliensInTheNASAArchivesMoreStunningNASAUFOAnomali.flv

Source:

http://www.ufodigest.com/video6.html#sts48

#3 “White” Holes

One of Albert Einstein’s greatest accomplishments was proving, though mathematics, the existence of black holes. From the advances in technology, we now have been able to find several black holes, and believe one to be at the center of our very own Milky Way galaxy.

What is astonishing, however, is what Einstein also proved through his equations; white holes also exist. The exact opposite of black holes, white holes are believed to “spit out” an incredible amount of matter from seemingly nothing. Such an object should be easy to find, yet none have been. If one was found, it may help us explain other unknown mysteries, such as where the material that made the galaxies came from.

Some newer theories on the nature of white holes is that when a black hole collapses, a new universe emerges on the other side in the form of a white hole. Therefore, in any given universe, as many new universes would emerge as its number of black holes. The theory then goes on to state that some of these newly formed universes would be better suited for maintaining existence than others, resulting in a kind of evolution and natural selection on a grand universal scale!

It is fascinating to see patterns that we witness here on Earth, played out throughout the universe.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fecund_universes#Fecund_universes

#2 Ruins on Moon

In this post, we have discussed the possibility of life on distant planets and in near planets. But could this life possibly at one time have been as close as the moon? This conspiracy theory states that there are indeed ancient ruins and buildings on the moon, but the government has been censoring them from the public. This theory had no backing until two recent breakthroughs.

A man who claims to have worked for the government censoring moon photos came forward with several, explaining how the censorship was done and that indeed there were structures on the moon. More recently, scientists announced they believe they have discovered water, possibly in ice or liquid form, under the surface of the moon.

For conspiracy theorists, this was all the proof they needed, while critics dismiss it as “ridiculous speculation”. You can read more about this, and watch a fascinating video, here.

According to some theorists, the Apollo astronauts took pictures of these lunar objects, which were later ordered to be destroyed. However, these orders were evidently disobeyed and these photos were leaked. Some people believe that it was not a budget cut that caused NASA to halt lunar exploration, but rather it was what they found on the surface that caused them to cease moon missions…

Conspiracy theorists see obvious traces of buildings and walls in these photos, such as these images included here. Other images also appear to show regular structures on the lunar surface.

Source:

http://www.enterprisemission.com/INA-Outgassing.htm

http://reinep.wordpress.com/2011/02/27/nasas-secrets-revealed-alien-ruins-on-the-moon/

#1 Dark Energy

Dark energy is the greatest mystery in the universe today, because of the fact that it is believed to be all around us, and it explains why there seems to be anomalies within the law of gravity. By the law of gravity, large objects, like galaxy clusters, should attract each other, and their gravitational pull should pull in other objects.

This however, is not the case, and the fact is most galaxy clusters are moving farther apart. This is due to the fact that the universe is expanding at an incredible rate. To answer the question of why this is, scientists developed the theory of Dark Energy, which has the opposite effect as gravity, pushing things apart. Mathematical calculations have shown that if it exists, it makes up 74% of our universe, outweighing gravity, and this is why the universe is stretching out. However we still have no conclusive proof, so it remains a mystery to us.

Dark energy can be described as anti-gravity… Without dark energy, the universe would be collapsing upon itself due to the constriction of gravity. However, science shows us that the universe has been expanding exponentially since the big bang. Scientists cannot come to a conclusion on how dark energy works, but it seems certain that it exists, and actually makes up about 75% of our Universe… It is amazing that such a major force in our universe goes unseen!

Source:

http://listverse.com/2009/12/31/top-10-mysteries-of-outer-space/

Tags: alien, aliens, extra-terrestrials, galaxy, planet, space, UFOs, universe