My Curiosity for the Unknown: Exploring the Mysteries of the Cosmos- SL24_Raiyan Intishar Alam_23311004_M35_16th August 2023

 

My Curiosity for the Unknown: Exploring the Mysteries of the Cosmos

Humanity’s fascination with the unknown has been a driving force behind many remarkable discoveries throughout history. From the uncharted depths of the ocean to the vast reaches of outer space, the desire to explore and understand what lies beyond our current knowledge has led to incredible advancements in science and technology. As an avid enthusiast of science and research, I find myself constantly drawn to the unknowns of the cosmos. In this blog, I will share my insatiable curiosity about the unknown, with a focus on the wonders of the universe.

Secrets of the Cosmos

In many ways, astronomy is the ultimate journey of exploration. Astronomers are limited to observing celestial objects from light years away, unlike other scientific fields where experiments can be conducted in controlled environments. This, in turn, gives rise to countless unknowns waiting to be discovered and understood.

Black holes and Singularities

When matter is compressed into a small enough radius called the ‘Schwarzchild Radius’, it collapses in on itself, giving rise to a point of infinite density in space-time known as the ‘Black hole’. In theory, every object has its own Schwarzchild radius and will turn into a black hole if you’re able to compress the entire mass into the radius; you would need to compress the entire mass of the Earth into the size of a peanut if you intended on making a black hole out of our dear planet Earth. In reality, however, it is not quite feasible for that to happen naturally or with the current technologies we have, so nobody has to worry about the Earth or the Sun turning into black holes. Schwarzchild radius increases with mass, so stars that are many times more massive than the Sun can form black holes at the time of their death when their core runs out of enough fuel to support their weight and they end up collapsing in on themselves. The gravitational pull of the black hole is so strong that not even light can escape from it, giving rise to the name ‘black’ hole. As light cannot escape, we cannot see the center, known as ‘Singularity’. Till now, we have made many mathematical and scientific predictions on what’s happening inside a black hole, but these are only theories, as, for now, it seems impossible to collect data about the inside of a black hole. Will the advancement of technology and our understanding of physics give us a      peek at the dark depths of a black hole? Only time will tell.

Dark Matter and Dark Energy

One of the most profound mysteries of cosmology revolves around dark matter and dark energy. These components make up about 95% of the universe’s mass-energy content, yet we know very little about them. Dark matter, a substance that doesn’t interact with light, making it invisible, affects the gravitational interactions of galaxies, while dark energy is believed to be responsible for the continuously accelerating rate at which our universe is expanding. Even though the impact of dark matter and dark energy is very significant on the fate of the universe, we have yet to learn how exactly these interact with regular matter and what these substances are made of. Might these be made of new fundamental particles that we have yet to unravel?

 

Exoplanets and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life

Exoplanets, planets outside our solar system, are a major discovery in astronomy that has ignited our quest to find life outside of Earth. Many of these exoplanets are orbiting their host star in the ‘Goldilock’s zone’, a zone far enough from the star for water to exist but not too far for all the water to be frozen. It is not very far-fetched to think that life may arise outside our planet since all living beings are carbon-based life forms, and carbon is also one of the most abundant elements in the expanding universe. Unfortunately, for us, even the closest exoplanet from Earth is 4.25 light-years away. 1 light-year is about 9.36 trillion kilometers, so it would take us about 54,400 years to reach there with the fastest spacecraft we currently have. Due to such enormous distances, we are only limited to collecting data from the light that reflects off those planets, which tells us about the planet’s atmosphere, climate, structure, and chemical composition. Space agencies like NASA, along with numerous other researchers, are trying to innovate new technology that will help us send rovers to those exoplanets within our lifetime. The search for extraterrestrial life is still in full force, and the future looks very interesting if we were to discover such life outside our home planet.

Conclusion

As we delve deeper into the mysteries of the cosmos, we must remember that the beauty of the unknown lies not only in the answers but also in the journey of exploring the unanswered. Every failed hypothesis, every failed experiment, and every unanswered observation fuels humanity’s curiosity and encourages us to push the boundaries of our understanding. The more we explore the unknown, the more we realize how much there is yet to be uncovered.

As an enthusiast of science and research, my curiosity for the unknown grows with every passing night. The mysteries of black holes, dark matter, dark energy, and the intriguing idea of life beyond our planet are just some examples of what keeps me up at night wanting to know more. Astronomy, as a science, is the celebration of the unknown. And as it is, the journey of exploring the depths of the unknown is an exciting and humbling experience.

The author of this blog is Raiyan Alam, a student of physics at BRAC University. He is putting all his efforts into getting more knowledge and into becoming an original thinker like the famous physicist and the author’s idol, Richard Feynman. You can contact Raiyan Alam at alamraiyan0@gmail.com or drop a text at +8801617542735.