From: LARRY KLAES (ljk4_at_msn.com)
Date: Sun Oct 12 2003 - 17:58:07 PDT
This article is also available on the web at:
http://www.spacetoday.net/getsummary.php?id=1960
Astronomers pinpoint when expansion of universe accelerated
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Posted: Sun, Oct 12 2:08 PM ET (1808 GMT)
Astronomers announced Friday that the expansion of the
universe started to accelerate about five billion years ago
because of the influence of a mysterious dark energy. A
group led by Adam Reiss of the Space Telescope Science
Institute observed a number of distant supernovae in order
to determine at what rates the universe has been expanding.
They determined that the combined gravity of the matter in
the universe had been causing the expansion had been slowing
down since the Big Bang until about five billion years ago,
when dark energy and its repulsive force caused the
expansion to accelerate. The accelerating expansion of the
universe had been discovered by astronomers several years
ago, but prior to this recent research it was unclear how
long the acceleration had been taking place. The nature of
the dark energy causing the acceleration remains a mystery.
Related Links:
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CWRU press release (via Spaceflight Now):
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0310/10expansion/
New York Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/11/science/11COSM.html
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