If Dark Matter does exist... (Earth, stars, light, spacecraft)
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If dark matter does exist, and exists in the vicinity of earth, and assuming that we could somehow obtain it, does anyone have an educated opinion concerning its possible practical application? To what use could it be put? I realize that it's hard to have an opinion concerning something that we don't really know the nature of, but I just thought I would ask.
This is an area in which I review a lot of papers in. Dark matter does exist, we're pretty darn certain about that. Nobody knows what applications it will have if we can harness it. It's all speculation, really, but still entertaining to think about. I dont think it will be really useful whatsoever, its just matter without a charge to it. Its like asking salt to interact with sugar.
This is an area in which I review a lot of papers in. Dark matter does exist, we're pretty darn certain about that. Nobody knows what applications it will have if we can harness it. It's all speculation, really, but still entertaining to think about. I dont think it will be really useful whatsoever, its just matter without a charge to it. Its like asking salt to interact with sugar.
I don't really know anything about it, but the thought had occurred to me that if dark matter is what is causing the universe's expansion then it must have a force which counters gravity and that that could be put to practical use. Assuming of course that dark matter could even be acquired. Well, as I said, I don't know anything about the subject and so I can't talk intelligently about it. I was just curious about opinions others might have. I appreciate that you took the time to reply.
I don't really know anything about it, but the thought had occurred to me that if dark matter is what is causing the universe's expansion then it must have a force which counters gravity and that that could be put to practical use. Assuming of course that dark matter could even be acquired. Well, as I said, I don't know anything about the subject and so I can't talk intelligently about it. I was just curious about opinions others might have. I appreciate that you took the time to reply.
Mike, Dark Matter is thought to be exotic matter that doesn't seem to work like ordinary matter. It's thought to exist because of certain effects around ordinary matter, especially galaxies and galactic clusters. It's just sort of out there as an unseen physical part of the universe. Dark Energy on the other hand is what is thought to be involved with the expansion of the universe. Again, we see certain effects, such as the acceleration of the expansion of space of the universe, but we don't really know much more about it. If there wasn't something generating the accelerated expansion of the universe, then the universe should be slowing down because of Gravity, not speeding up.
Mike, Dark Matter is thought to be exotic matter that doesn't seem to work like ordinary matter. It's thought to exist because of certain effects around ordinary matter, especially galaxies and galactic clusters. It's just sort of out there as an unseen physical part of the universe. Dark Energy on the other hand is what is thought to be involved with the expansion of the universe. Again, we see certain effects, such as the acceleration of the expansion of space of the universe, but we don't really know much more about it. If there wasn't something generating the accelerated expansion of the universe, then the universe should be slowing down because of Gravity, not speeding up.
I see. I was confusing dark matter with dark energy. I was just reading here, Curious About Astronomy: What's the difference between dark matter and dark energy? that dark matter accounts for the gravitational force that holds the galaxies together, which is the exact opposite of what I was thinking, while dark energy is the anti-gravity force as you stated. It's a fascinating subject. I will have to read up on it. Thanks NightBazaar for straightening me out on that.
I see. I was confusing dark matter with dark energy. I was just reading here, Curious About Astronomy: What's the difference between dark matter and dark energy? that dark matter accounts for the gravitational force that holds the galaxies together, which is the exact opposite of what I was thinking, while dark energy is the anti-gravity force as you stated. It's a fascinating subject. I will have to read up on it. Thanks NightBazaar for straightening me out on that.
In regard to your original question concerning a practical application, we still do not know what is Dark Energy. If one does not know what something is, it is difficult to come up with a practical application. Dark Energy is really just a label for something we do not know. Like just a few centuries ago when we labeled parts of the planet "terra incognita" (Latin for "unknown land").
One possible explanation for Dark Energy is the Casimir Effect. The Casimir Effect is a quantized field that extracts energy from the vacuum of space. If that is truly the case, then Dark Energy may help us propel spacecraft to the distant stars. A spacecraft equipped with a Casimir Drive would be able to extract energy from the vacuum of space itself. No fuel would be required, and the spacecraft would be able to propel itself indefinitely.
That is the chief stumbling block for getting to other stars - fuel. We simply cannot bring enough fuel along to make a trip to even the closest star feasible. If a Casimir Drive proves to be viable, then interstellar travel may be a possibility in our future.
Dark Matter could be used in food. If we can get it to be edible, it wouldnt interact with our body, and would be healthy to eat, yum! Just add nutrients and flavoring and you've got the ultimate "lose weight diet". Feel full without any chance of your body absorbing it!
(from a friend this morning at work thinking of cooky ideas)
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