Summary
August 23, 2007: Astronomers at the University of Minnesota have found a void, a region of the universe empty of interstellar matter, of a far larger size than any previously known void. The astronomers are quoted as saying:
"Not only has no one ever found a void this big, but we never even expected to find one this size."
and
"What we’ve found is not normal, based on either observational studies or on computer simulations of the large-scale evolution of the Universe."
The void was detected via measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation. CMB radiation which passes through large empty regions on their journey to Earth more loose energy from interaction with dark energy than it would if it had passed through a region with normal mass distribution.
Source
Game and Story Use
- Okay - just who or what is eating up our universe?
- Probably the same entities that are responsible for pumping dark energy into our universe - they seem to have it in for us.
- Could also be behind the news that Astronomers Have Discovered Another Mysterious Dimming Star.