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British Broadcasting CorporationBBCHome
19 August 2010 Last updated at 18:33 GMT
Fate of Universe revealed by galactic lens
By Howard Falcon-Lang Science reporter
The inner regions of Abell 1689 The huge galactic cluster known as Abell 1689
acted as a cosmic magnifying glass
A "galactic lens" has revealed that the Universe will probably expand forever.
Astronomers used the way that light from distant stars was distorted by a huge
galactic cluster known as Abell 1689 to work out the amount of dark energy in
the cosmos.
Dark energy is a mysterious force that speeds up the expansion of the Universe.
Understanding the distribution of this force revealed that the likely fate of
the Universe was to keep on expanding.
It will eventually become a cold, dead wasteland, researchers say.
The study, conducted by an international team led by Professor Eric Jull of
Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, is published in the journal
Science.
Dark energy makes up three-quarters of our Universe but is totally invisible.
We only know it exists because of its effect on the expansion of the Universe.
To work out how dark energy is spread through space, astronomers used the
Hubble Space Telescope to observe the way that light from distant stars was
distorted around Abell 1689, a nearby cluster of galaxies.
Abell 1689, found in the constellation of Virgo, is one of the biggest galactic
clusters known to science.
Graphic of a gravitational lens effect Light bends around massive galaxy
clusters, allowing distant objects to be seen
Because of its huge mass, the cluster acts as a cosmic magnifying glass,
causing light to bend around it.
The way in which light is distorted by this cosmic lens depends on three
factors: how far away the distant object is; the mass of Abell 1689; and the
distribution of dark energy.
The astronomers were able to measure the first two variables using the European
Space Observatory's Very Large Telescope, enabling them to calculate this
crucial third factor.
Cold comfort
Knowing the distribution of dark energy tells astronomers that the Universe
will continue to get bigger indefinitely.
Eventually it will become a cold, dead wasteland with a temperature approaching
what scientists term "absolute zero".
Professor Priyamvada Natarajan of Yale University, a leading cosmologist and
co-author of this study, said that the findings finally proved "exactly what
the fate of the Universe will be".
Related stories
* Light on the dark energy mystery 17 DECEMBER 2008, SCI/TECH
* Universe 'mostly made of dark energy' 11 NOVEMBER 2002, SCI/TECH
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