• Question: what is more powerful 9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999 atomic bombs or the universe exploding?

    Asked by Montytibbs to Helen, Hugh, Julian on 20 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: Julian Onions

      Julian Onions answered on 20 Nov 2014:

      9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999 atom bombs, because the universe can’t explode!

    • Photo: Hugh Osborn

      Hugh Osborn answered on 20 Nov 2014:

      Sure it can, Julian! It is exploding right now! The Dark Energy that is pulling space itself apart is more powerful than anything normal matter can do. In fact, this mysterious anti-gravity contributes more than 70% of the universe’s mass and energy compared to normal matter’s 4%.

      But Julian is right that the matter we see in the universe can’t just ‘explode’.

    • Photo: Helen Johnson

      Helen Johnson answered on 21 Nov 2014:

      Brilliant answer Hugh. Yep, the Universe is expanding all the time, and accelerating – the expansion is getting faster! Everything is going to carry on getting further and further away from us in space, pushed apart by this mysterious ‘Dark Energy’. It’s kind of crazy that we don’t know what Dark Matter and Dark Energy are – normal matter only makes up about 4% of the Universe! .. Perhaps you can be someone who helps figure it out one day?

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