Thinking About the Universe
It is strange and wonderful
that each body contains remnants
of a remote time and deep space.
Yet we still struggle to find our place—
to seek meaning in what might otherwise be
an indistinguishable existence
of great insignificance.
The cosmos is too vast to comprehend,
its distances unfathomable.
Yet that has never stopped us
from contemplating our ability to traverse it—
as if that alone would justify our part in it.
As the echoes of supernovae prove
here a star once existed.
The warmth of our Sun is insatiable;
we long for the next nearest,
Proxima Centauri,
ten thousand of our own years away.
We imagine alien life
as a complement to our own origin story,
filling in ancient fables,
bolstering old myths,
searching for truth hidden in the darkness.
We dedicate our entire lives
to a quest only future generations might come to realize.
We build towers, temples, and telescopes
to feel closer to what is far beyond our reach—
to seek understanding,
to elevate what might otherwise seem bleak.
This is our legacy:
curiosity, ambition, relentless pursuit—
to explore beyond our current planet,
to find order in the chaotic soup.
We ask ourselves the same questions, over and over:
Where did the universe come from?
Does it have a beginning or an end?
What happened at the beginning?
How do time and travel fit in?
We re-imagine our civilization
and wonder what more we can do.
As we orbit Sagittarius A*,
on a fixed loop
26,000 light-years away,
new ideas emerge here on Earth.
Are we just another program
executing commands,
still stuck on the backs of turtles,
infinitely spiraling down?
that each body contains remnants
of a remote time and deep space.
Yet we still struggle to find our place—
to seek meaning in what might otherwise be
an indistinguishable existence
of great insignificance.
The cosmos is too vast to comprehend,
its distances unfathomable.
Yet that has never stopped us
from contemplating our ability to traverse it—
as if that alone would justify our part in it.
As the echoes of supernovae prove
here a star once existed.
The warmth of our Sun is insatiable;
we long for the next nearest,
Proxima Centauri,
ten thousand of our own years away.
We imagine alien life
as a complement to our own origin story,
filling in ancient fables,
bolstering old myths,
searching for truth hidden in the darkness.
We dedicate our entire lives
to a quest only future generations might come to realize.
We build towers, temples, and telescopes
to feel closer to what is far beyond our reach—
to seek understanding,
to elevate what might otherwise seem bleak.
This is our legacy:
curiosity, ambition, relentless pursuit—
to explore beyond our current planet,
to find order in the chaotic soup.
We ask ourselves the same questions, over and over:
Where did the universe come from?
Does it have a beginning or an end?
What happened at the beginning?
How do time and travel fit in?
We re-imagine our civilization
and wonder what more we can do.
As we orbit Sagittarius A*,
on a fixed loop
26,000 light-years away,
new ideas emerge here on Earth.
Are we just another program
executing commands,
still stuck on the backs of turtles,
infinitely spiraling down?
Our Evolving Picture of the Universe
Ourselves wanderers,
taking leave on ships—
distances miscalculated,
sailing toward unknown lands.
We vanish on the horizon,
as do constellations drift,
never having reached the edge.
We write stories,
diverse and unique,
shaped by our own perspectives.
We dive deeper upon discovery,
of truths that do not fit
our own narratives.
Mercury, Venus, Mars,
Jupiter, Saturn—
puzzle pieces,
not moving east to west
predicting positions, but lacking proofs.
Are we, or are we not,
at the center of it?
Following our starry pleasures
into the serried multitude,
until our feet no longer touch the Earth—
finding ourselves untethered,
jetting through unoccupied space,
harnessing the laws of planetary motion,
caught in the orbit,
questioning matters
both dark and reflective.
The gravity,
governing, forceful, and unseen;
we cast our shadows
unifying celestial and terrestrial physics.
While our moon eclipses us
it is not the only distinct satellite
simply the one we know best.
And our solar system, perhaps
an in-unique feature
of the greater cosmos,
also wandering
an uncharted expanse,
following an imperfect circle,
influenced by forces
still mysterious to us,
as we build rockets
to boldly go
where no one has gone before.
distances miscalculated,
sailing toward unknown lands.
We vanish on the horizon,
as do constellations drift,
never having reached the edge.
We write stories,
diverse and unique,
shaped by our own perspectives.
We dive deeper upon discovery,
of truths that do not fit
our own narratives.
Mercury, Venus, Mars,
Jupiter, Saturn—
puzzle pieces,
not moving east to west
predicting positions, but lacking proofs.
Are we, or are we not,
at the center of it?
Following our starry pleasures
into the serried multitude,
until our feet no longer touch the Earth—
finding ourselves untethered,
jetting through unoccupied space,
harnessing the laws of planetary motion,
caught in the orbit,
questioning matters
both dark and reflective.
The gravity,
governing, forceful, and unseen;
we cast our shadows
unifying celestial and terrestrial physics.
While our moon eclipses us
it is not the only distinct satellite
simply the one we know best.
And our solar system, perhaps
an in-unique feature
of the greater cosmos,
also wandering
an uncharted expanse,
following an imperfect circle,
influenced by forces
still mysterious to us,
as we build rockets
to boldly go
where no one has gone before.
The Nature of a Scientific Theory
We mistake theories for models
that only exist in the mind,
making definite predictions
based on large-scale observations
using a handful of arbitrary elements.
But unlike earth, air, fire, and water,
distinguished by all our senses,
there lives a force--
proportional to its mass, and
the square of two objects' distance.
An eloquent proof
of a delicate and physical dance.
Experiments devised to falsify,
emboldened confidence, or
demoralized by refutation,
upon further evidence--
justify further pursuits.
And new theories begin
to extend the old ones:
from Newton's gravity
comes Einstein's relativity,
explaining Mercury's revolution
with greater accuracy.
So too might we strive to contrive
that of everything?
Our current laws informing us,
we anticipate with our logic gates
how our last step shaped our present place
yet, still we contemplate:
what was our initial state?
Whether it be a metaphysical
or a religious take,
within an otherwise random design
we found these laws dictate
the leaps and bounds we've made,
all calculable, and giving reason
to further speculate.
Do all these bits and partial theories
predicate a grand and unifying story?
An unisolated, fundamental hypothesis
from gravity, to relativity, to quantum engineering--
we have inconsistencies,
fringe cases not rolling up
into any known meaning.
We find ourselves on the frayed edge
of a black hole,
littered with Rosen Bridges.
Connecting the universe
from end to end,
we follow each thread
on an expedition into a quantum land,
where gravity is still
a force to be reckoned with.
Might we discover God, or
determine our actions predefined?
Our free will, obsolete--
a relic of an antiquated time.
Might Darwin's Principle
of Natural Selection suggest
as we self-replicate
and our genetics produce variables
at a slow and steady pace,
our dominant behaviors
become intelligence,
driving development
at an ever-increasing rate,
having no natural brakes,
we only accelerate
toward our own demise
or, perhaps,
this is how we all survive…
In either case, we are unsatisfied,
disconnected, and pining for
a complete description.
Our deepest desire--
a world order that predicts
even the most extreme circumstance.
And each day, many a brave scientist
searches for the next profound twist,
altering their thoughts,
to consider new features that might fit.
They endeavor to upend,
append, and defend,
unearth the next limit,
to what we consider
modern scientific.
that only exist in the mind,
making definite predictions
based on large-scale observations
using a handful of arbitrary elements.
But unlike earth, air, fire, and water,
distinguished by all our senses,
there lives a force--
proportional to its mass, and
the square of two objects' distance.
An eloquent proof
of a delicate and physical dance.
Experiments devised to falsify,
emboldened confidence, or
demoralized by refutation,
upon further evidence--
justify further pursuits.
And new theories begin
to extend the old ones:
from Newton's gravity
comes Einstein's relativity,
explaining Mercury's revolution
with greater accuracy.
So too might we strive to contrive
that of everything?
Our current laws informing us,
we anticipate with our logic gates
how our last step shaped our present place
yet, still we contemplate:
what was our initial state?
Whether it be a metaphysical
or a religious take,
within an otherwise random design
we found these laws dictate
the leaps and bounds we've made,
all calculable, and giving reason
to further speculate.
Do all these bits and partial theories
predicate a grand and unifying story?
An unisolated, fundamental hypothesis
from gravity, to relativity, to quantum engineering--
we have inconsistencies,
fringe cases not rolling up
into any known meaning.
We find ourselves on the frayed edge
of a black hole,
littered with Rosen Bridges.
Connecting the universe
from end to end,
we follow each thread
on an expedition into a quantum land,
where gravity is still
a force to be reckoned with.
Might we discover God, or
determine our actions predefined?
Our free will, obsolete--
a relic of an antiquated time.
Might Darwin's Principle
of Natural Selection suggest
as we self-replicate
and our genetics produce variables
at a slow and steady pace,
our dominant behaviors
become intelligence,
driving development
at an ever-increasing rate,
having no natural brakes,
we only accelerate
toward our own demise
or, perhaps,
this is how we all survive…
In either case, we are unsatisfied,
disconnected, and pining for
a complete description.
Our deepest desire--
a world order that predicts
even the most extreme circumstance.
And each day, many a brave scientist
searches for the next profound twist,
altering their thoughts,
to consider new features that might fit.
They endeavor to upend,
append, and defend,
unearth the next limit,
to what we consider
modern scientific.
Newton's Universe
What is our natural state?
At rest, driven by impulse,
falling faster in congruence
with our weight--
conjectures of thought
unobserved and disproven.
falling faster in congruence
with our weight--
conjectures of thought
unobserved and disproven.
Simulating different masses,
there is no difference:
increasing speed at the same rate,
except in the case of resistance.
What is our natural state?
there is no difference:
increasing speed at the same rate,
except in the case of resistance.
What is our natural state?
A force that must be reckoned with,
a body in motion
until acted upon.
We just keep moving forward,
accelerating or decelerating
in proportion to our surroundings--
sometimes crashing down,
or thrown out of orbit.
Perhaps it is our natural state
to be caught up in gravity's wake,
consistent with our distance,
falling at the same velocity
relative to our physical place.
Newton's Law relates,
unconcerned with the rotating rock
the train is moving on,
or the ping-pong ball
not bouncing off
the table on which it is played.
The observers perspective implying
a state of constant change:
no absolute position,
no absolute space--
arguing only an absolute time.
An insight eventually revised
while studying
the properties of light.
a body in motion
until acted upon.
We just keep moving forward,
accelerating or decelerating
in proportion to our surroundings--
sometimes crashing down,
or thrown out of orbit.
Perhaps it is our natural state
to be caught up in gravity's wake,
consistent with our distance,
falling at the same velocity
relative to our physical place.
Newton's Law relates,
unconcerned with the rotating rock
the train is moving on,
or the ping-pong ball
not bouncing off
the table on which it is played.
The observers perspective implying
a state of constant change:
no absolute position,
no absolute space--
arguing only an absolute time.
An insight eventually revised
while studying
the properties of light.
Relativity
Into the cosmos Roemer gazes,
watching distant planets
making note of different phases,
identifying patterns
in the celestial movements.
What of the
eclipsing moons of Jupiter--
unevenly spaced,
a delayed event,
based on our position and their place.
He purposes
a new hypothesis:
suggesting a finite speed.
That light must travel
between objects,
albeit very quickly.
186,000 miles a second, in fact
but not instantaneous C.
And to prove that,
Maxwell unifies partial theories
determining the propagation of light--
electric and magnetic,
charges and currents.
Fields exerting force
upon those around it.
A sea of perfectly distributed
peaks and valleys.
Crests and troughs,
naturally occurring
with different lengths.
Electromagnetism emerges.
Like ripples in a pond
from the epicenter,
waves all rolling outward
at fixed speeds--
at times visible,
others too small or too large to see.
It is reconciled
that they must be
transmitting through the ether,
a medium, filling
an otherwise void
and vacuumed space,
for light to be measured--
not relative to a fixed position,
or recording a different pace.
Michelson and Morley come along
confirming with practical experiment
the speed at which light travels
remains consistent.
As the Earth revolves around the Sun
no matter where in orbit
the light is measured from,
the ether has no impact
on the final outcome.
Einstein and Poincaré argue
against ether's existence, and
from differing perspectives,
make a disagreeing agreement.
It is unnecessary and irrelevant, but--
was it resolved by physics or
a mathematical achievement?
Einstein presses forward
with relativity,
insisting the laws of science
apply seamlessly
for all observers, and
no matter their own direction, or pace,
the speed of light
moves at an unchanged rate.
A counterintuitive prophecy,
asking us to suspend
our then-held belief.
Time was not absolute,
nor would it agree
when one observes light
from a different location from me.
He declares explicitly--
time and space are dependent,
intertwined fundamentally.
And what an odd
and difficult conclusion,
indeed!
Consequently, our coordinates
increase to four from three,
and we discover:
Energy equals Mass
times the square of Light Speed.
That the more energy
an object collects kinetically,
the greater its momentum is resisted,
proportionally.
And for a mass to reach
the speed of light
one would require infinite energy--
an edge to our own ability!
But this is just Special Relativity,
blending Newtonian,
and Maxwellian theories.
Leaving a massive hole
in the thought experiment:
what if the sun were to vanish instantly?
Would Earth be cast from orbit,
freed from its gravity?
Or, would it take eight minutes
for its light, and pull,
to disappear completely?
It is here we reach
the cusp of descent
into even greater matters
and mysteries,
where space and time curve
around masses,
in General Relativity.
watching distant planets
making note of different phases,
identifying patterns
in the celestial movements.
What of the
eclipsing moons of Jupiter--
unevenly spaced,
a delayed event,
based on our position and their place.
He purposes
a new hypothesis:
suggesting a finite speed.
That light must travel
between objects,
albeit very quickly.
186,000 miles a second, in fact
but not instantaneous C.
And to prove that,
Maxwell unifies partial theories
determining the propagation of light--
electric and magnetic,
charges and currents.
Fields exerting force
upon those around it.
A sea of perfectly distributed
peaks and valleys.
Crests and troughs,
naturally occurring
with different lengths.
Electromagnetism emerges.
Like ripples in a pond
from the epicenter,
waves all rolling outward
at fixed speeds--
at times visible,
others too small or too large to see.
It is reconciled
that they must be
transmitting through the ether,
a medium, filling
an otherwise void
and vacuumed space,
for light to be measured--
not relative to a fixed position,
or recording a different pace.
Michelson and Morley come along
confirming with practical experiment
the speed at which light travels
remains consistent.
As the Earth revolves around the Sun
no matter where in orbit
the light is measured from,
the ether has no impact
on the final outcome.
Einstein and Poincaré argue
against ether's existence, and
from differing perspectives,
make a disagreeing agreement.
It is unnecessary and irrelevant, but--
was it resolved by physics or
a mathematical achievement?
Einstein presses forward
with relativity,
insisting the laws of science
apply seamlessly
for all observers, and
no matter their own direction, or pace,
the speed of light
moves at an unchanged rate.
A counterintuitive prophecy,
asking us to suspend
our then-held belief.
Time was not absolute,
nor would it agree
when one observes light
from a different location from me.
He declares explicitly--
time and space are dependent,
intertwined fundamentally.
And what an odd
and difficult conclusion,
indeed!
Consequently, our coordinates
increase to four from three,
and we discover:
Energy equals Mass
times the square of Light Speed.
That the more energy
an object collects kinetically,
the greater its momentum is resisted,
proportionally.
And for a mass to reach
the speed of light
one would require infinite energy--
an edge to our own ability!
But this is just Special Relativity,
blending Newtonian,
and Maxwellian theories.
Leaving a massive hole
in the thought experiment:
what if the sun were to vanish instantly?
Would Earth be cast from orbit,
freed from its gravity?
Or, would it take eight minutes
for its light, and pull,
to disappear completely?
It is here we reach
the cusp of descent
into even greater matters
and mysteries,
where space and time curve
around masses,
in General Relativity.
Curved Space
Hushed but not silent,
destined for collision,
even clashing with itself,
Gravity is not a force
like other forces,
but a consequence
of space-time, not being flat--
a curved surface, warped
by the distribution of mass,
energy in the objects,
following the nearest
straight path.
Upon a geometric surface,
where geodesics exist--
like our equator,
a circle, 'round
the center of Earth.
These are invisible
curved lines
between two points,
pilots capitalize on.
Shortening routes by
flying parallel
with the Earth's
spherical design.
Jumping from 2
to 4 dimensions--
it is not gravitational attraction,
rather, a distortion in space
around objects.
Like the sun and the Earth,
caught in a curvature
created by these heavenly masses.
Two bodies, intertwined in a dance,
Both calling and answering.
Improvising the choreography
when one falls out of step.
Even light adheres to it,
bending around each object,
it's deflected.
Slipping around corners,
and escaping tight places.
Causing stars to appear
in positions
different than where we
predicted.
Time runs slower,
or faster, here too.
Depending on our proximity
to a massive object.
A principle of equivalence--
Freely moving, or
under gravity's influence?
The laws of science match.
Though more technically
in overlapping patches.
The cosmos, wrapped
in a quilted romance.
It's impossible to say
what's truly at rest, or
uniformly accelerating,
in an empty space--
Are you floating or falling?
There is no difference
between them,
inertial and gravitational masses.
A relentless and logical reasoning
historically unmatched.
But how does that relate
to the clicks of a clock, when
they remain the same?
Well, relatively, they do not.
Uniform acceleration still
plays its part.
Even though light has no mass,
and its speed is constant,
traveling between two curved points,
the time it takes may be delayed,
Or sped up,
ever more drastic
as it relates to the observer's positions
and gravitational interactions.
Thus, we developed a map,
with four quadrants,
for its practical importance.
Increasing the accuracy
of our navigational systems
using signals from satellites,
that would otherwise
leave us miles off
from our desired locations.
It even impacts our circadian rhythms,
and we play around with the implications.
The more gravity exerted on our body,
the longer we stay young and hot!
Light speed, baby!
To infinity and beyond!
Conversely,
we grow ever more certain:
our universe has a conclusion.
Time and space, having
a dynamic structure
affected by the masses
and forces in motion,
influencing and influenced--
have reshaped our ideas
of an infinite universe.
It is now hypothesized
as finite, expanding
from a single point,
toward a finish line,
unribboned, cold and fridged,
or collapsing in on itself,
only to begin again.
With a big bang, and
it's life, off to the races,
once more.
destined for collision,
even clashing with itself,
Gravity is not a force
like other forces,
but a consequence
of space-time, not being flat--
a curved surface, warped
by the distribution of mass,
energy in the objects,
following the nearest
straight path.
Upon a geometric surface,
where geodesics exist--
like our equator,
a circle, 'round
the center of Earth.
These are invisible
curved lines
between two points,
pilots capitalize on.
Shortening routes by
flying parallel
with the Earth's
spherical design.
Jumping from 2
to 4 dimensions--
it is not gravitational attraction,
rather, a distortion in space
around objects.
Like the sun and the Earth,
caught in a curvature
created by these heavenly masses.
Two bodies, intertwined in a dance,
Both calling and answering.
Improvising the choreography
when one falls out of step.
Even light adheres to it,
bending around each object,
it's deflected.
Slipping around corners,
and escaping tight places.
Causing stars to appear
in positions
different than where we
predicted.
Time runs slower,
or faster, here too.
Depending on our proximity
to a massive object.
A principle of equivalence--
Freely moving, or
under gravity's influence?
The laws of science match.
Though more technically
in overlapping patches.
The cosmos, wrapped
in a quilted romance.
It's impossible to say
what's truly at rest, or
uniformly accelerating,
in an empty space--
Are you floating or falling?
There is no difference
between them,
inertial and gravitational masses.
A relentless and logical reasoning
historically unmatched.
But how does that relate
to the clicks of a clock, when
they remain the same?
Well, relatively, they do not.
Uniform acceleration still
plays its part.
Even though light has no mass,
and its speed is constant,
traveling between two curved points,
the time it takes may be delayed,
Or sped up,
ever more drastic
as it relates to the observer's positions
and gravitational interactions.
Thus, we developed a map,
with four quadrants,
for its practical importance.
Increasing the accuracy
of our navigational systems
using signals from satellites,
that would otherwise
leave us miles off
from our desired locations.
It even impacts our circadian rhythms,
and we play around with the implications.
The more gravity exerted on our body,
the longer we stay young and hot!
Light speed, baby!
To infinity and beyond!
Conversely,
we grow ever more certain:
our universe has a conclusion.
Time and space, having
a dynamic structure
affected by the masses
and forces in motion,
influencing and influenced--
have reshaped our ideas
of an infinite universe.
It is now hypothesized
as finite, expanding
from a single point,
toward a finish line,
unribboned, cold and fridged,
or collapsing in on itself,
only to begin again.
With a big bang, and
it's life, off to the races,
once more.
The Expanding Universe
Part 1-
Driving down an open road,lost among the trees.
The closer they come,
the faster they seem
to approach me--
the parallax:
a change in the angle
as it relates
to the position
from which I see.
And from here
we can measure
the stars closer to us
from those more distant,
regardless of one
shining more brightly.
Caught in a curvature
on a cosmic cruiser,
we travel around the sun--
an ordinary star
among billions,
average in size,
glowing yellow in our sky.
A heart, fusing
hydrogen to helium atoms,
set on the edge
of a spiral arm.
We glimpse
only a mere fraction
with the naked eye--
just .0001% of those
formed over time,
gathered on a barred
spiral
we call the Milky Way.
Herschel painstakingly categorized
the stars he could see,
counting pinpricks in the dark,
estimating the size of our galaxy:
100 thousand light-years across,
also rotating, slowly--
each revolution
100 million years apart.
Hubble expanded our senses,
envisioning that
in the vast emptiness
we were not alone.
Using indirect methods
he toiled,
measuring luminosities
until nine other galaxies arose.
Our neighbors proved
far-off and remote,
but the Drake Equation
could now be conceived--
with current calculations
of at least 100 billion stars
in each
of the 100 billion galaxies!
Upon further observations
we found Stellar Spectra,
a characteristic of having
different chemical elements,
revealing these balls of gas
not to be uniform
nor sharing the same temperaments.
Different colors, sizes,
and temperatures,
emitting varying waves
of thermal radiation--
stars were not only composed
of different atoms,
but their galaxies were
increasingly receding!
Through Blackbody Radiation,
Hubble could detect
a shifting pattern
in the light waves
moving to the red end
of the spectrum,
just as one would expect
in a Doppler Effect:
when sound crests
shorten or stretch
depending on the
source's locomotion,
so too do light waves lengthen
the further a galaxy's
remote registration.
This shift,
increasing in proportion
to their distance
charted from our location!
Our universe was spreading out!
These other galaxies were dispersing!
This was not a static universe--
it was a universe expanding!
Part 2-
What seemed to bean intellectual revelation
also appeared fitting
within the seams
of General Relativity.
The fudge factor,
"anti-gravity",
a subtle cosmological constant--
blinded Einstein from this reality
having woven it
into the fabric
of space-time,
erroneously
concealing the fact
without expansion
at a critical rate
gravity
would have caused us to collapse,
the universe
to self-annihilate.
Or was this too,
too quick a judgment?
We needed someone
brave enough
to question it,
to challenge the notions
others had simply accepted.
The stage was set
for our next
physicist mathematician.
Part 3-
In a roundabout way,we're led back
to the very beginning,
wondering how
our universe got its start.
Ideas tumbled around
like dust clouds
on an early autumn day
in a desert park
and off tongues
like dewdrops
rolling down flower petals
in spring
Hummingbirds sip up.
Across various laboratories
new data was analyzed
until one theory
rose to the top.
Now, but a faint,
red-shifted
microwave radiation,
was once a densely packed, hot,
white-glowing hydrogen gas
at dawn--
eagerly burst forth
from a teeny tiny plasmic spot.
Heard, not yet observed,
as a cosmic background noise,
A murmur from far beyond
our cradle of life,
360 degrees around
our axis and our sun,
wavering only the tiniest amount--
this was our overture, and it
confirmed Friedmann's first assumption:
universal distribution.
Zoomed out,
the universe was identical
in every direction.
Like standing in a forest--
not all the trees are the same,
but at scale
their differences average out.
Like countless points on a circle,
each distinct, yet together
form a legato so smooth
their breaks are indistinguishable.
Friedmann disregarded the cosmological constant,
solved Einstein's equations himself,
proving General Relativity showed
the galaxies were receding--
floating islands of gas, metal, and light
drifting apart from each other
at a proportional rate
to the space between them.
His second assumption,
though impossible to prove,
was that this would be so
in an endless symmetry,
requiring the humility
that we are not the center
of anything,
no more or less special
than Andromeda
or the Canis Major Dwarf--
just a more moderately sized
member of the collection.
Picture a balloon expanding,
covered in various-sized spots,
evenly distributed.
They spread slowly apart,
and no matter on which you start,
the measurements
to any relative spot
you find to be consistent.
In his initial model
Friedmann derived the shape
of our cosmos
as a spherical space,
lacking boundaries,
expanding at a critical rate
but just slow enough
that eventually,
it won't be able to escape--
gravity folding in on itself,
theoretically,
once you reach the end,
you're right back
at the beginning.
An eternal loop,
an infinite journey.
But Friedmann's solution gave birth
to two alternative destinies.
The first:
instead of a slow
barley critical rate,
our universe was expanding rapidly
gradually slowing with time,
but never retracting, and
forever stretching out
into the unknown.
The second:
not just a change in pace,
but a shift in shape!
The cosmos, perhaps,
geometrically flat
still curving
in response to mass,
expanding just beyond
the critical rate,
balanced between return and escape.
Which will be our fate?
What best describes
our beginning or end state?
Are there other matters
we have yet to detect,
or energies gravity contends with?
What more is there to know
about this geometric design?
What is the total volume of it?
Narrowing down our answers
has only added to our list of questions
and we continue to mull over
the possible outcomes.
Part 4-
You, matter--that which light reflects off,
the full spectrum revealed,
uncovering worlds
our retinas were not designed for.
We try to measure up,
to come to consensus--
the weight of it,
illuminated.
We find some matters
to be dark,
refusing to play
in the same way.
Their presence is still felt,
organizing the clusters,
establishing relationships
with the galaxies
and their farthest coordinates.
Particles we'd once
written off as unattractive
reveal their masses.
We wonder at all
we are unaware of,
having to acknowledge
the shortcomings
in our own biology--
most of what's in the universe
we did not evolve to see.
Our assumptions lacking,
the sum of
what has been perceived,
will never be enough
to slow the growth
of our space-time.
Whether round or flat,
there is no way
it could collapse,
or slow down enough
to explain our current
trajectory.
There is some peace
in this:
as space continues
to expand,
time will stretch
along with it--
a Never-Ending Story,
an endless expanse.
We will have
the rest of life
to uncover it.
But what of
Friedmann's three fates?
Must there be
another way
our universe is expanding?
Are there other matters
unaccounted for?
Or elusive dark energies
with which we are
timidly interacting?
New observers describe
an incrementing rate--
gravity is not slowing us down.
We are picking up pace,
space-time growing
at an exponential rate--
except when caught
on the Horizon,
where physics unravels,
where space and time
switch place.
Was Einstein right
about anti-gravity?
Must we fudge our way
to an understanding,
base our knowledge
and new technology
on unproven facts
and lazy loading?
Or is the truth still
hiding in the shadows
between the stars,
playing games with our heart--
waiting for those
patient and persistent
eager-eyed
cryptic souls
to see what others
have yet to imagine.
The Big Bang, Black Holes, and the Evolution of the Universe
Part 1 -
It was everything
it was nothing--
It curved without boundary
at temperatures
infinitely burning.
A dense spot
holding the ingredients
to our universe.
Particles racing around
too sexy to settle down--
it was the beginning.
In every equation
of general relativity,
the radius of space-time
starts at zero--
as do all our cosmological theories.
From this point, an expansion:
flat and smooth.
Science does not address
conditions before this--
they are not representative
of the universe we now live in
the one immediately after
the Big Bang,
past the point of zero.
The temperatures relented,
particles found each other
more attractive.
Some began to cluster,
bringing new particles into existence.
From quarks, we get protons and neutrons,
foundational parts of the atom--
not indivisible as once thought,
electrons included.
Photons colliding at high speed,
generating masses
give birth to both positron and electron--
particles, destined
many to annihilate each other,
reverting back
to the light that made them.
Second 1
Temperatures drop--
10 billion degrees Celsius.
Particles, once too hot,
begin connecting,
some with counterparts,
others their opposites.
Second 100
Temperatures drop--
1 billion degrees Celsius.
Many annihilated,
the survivors are caught
by the strong force--
a short-range attraction
where nuclei form
clustering together,
forging light elements,
the seeds of heavier ones,
and the unbound decay.
Our cosmos is now
full of elementary particles.
Helium, hydrogen, lithium, beryllium--
building blocks of the heavens.
Like alpha, beta, gamma,
it was the origin
of a new language.
Alpher, Bethe, Gamow
had made quite the prediction.
Traces of this evolution
could be detected
through photon radiation,
now just a few degrees above
absolute zero--
faint and red-shifted.
Still boundless,
now curved by masses,
cooled in the vast expanse.
The bread had risen,
the butter spread.
It was nothing,
but it was everything.
it was nothing--
It curved without boundary
at temperatures
infinitely burning.
A dense spot
holding the ingredients
to our universe.
Particles racing around
too sexy to settle down--
it was the beginning.
In every equation
of general relativity,
the radius of space-time
starts at zero--
as do all our cosmological theories.
From this point, an expansion:
flat and smooth.
Science does not address
conditions before this--
they are not representative
of the universe we now live in
the one immediately after
the Big Bang,
past the point of zero.
The temperatures relented,
particles found each other
more attractive.
Some began to cluster,
bringing new particles into existence.
From quarks, we get protons and neutrons,
foundational parts of the atom--
not indivisible as once thought,
electrons included.
Photons colliding at high speed,
generating masses
give birth to both positron and electron--
particles, destined
many to annihilate each other,
reverting back
to the light that made them.
Second 1
Temperatures drop--
10 billion degrees Celsius.
Particles, once too hot,
begin connecting,
some with counterparts,
others their opposites.
Second 100
Temperatures drop--
1 billion degrees Celsius.
Many annihilated,
the survivors are caught
by the strong force--
a short-range attraction
where nuclei form
clustering together,
forging light elements,
the seeds of heavier ones,
and the unbound decay.
Our cosmos is now
full of elementary particles.
Helium, hydrogen, lithium, beryllium--
building blocks of the heavens.
Like alpha, beta, gamma,
it was the origin
of a new language.
Alpher, Bethe, Gamow
had made quite the prediction.
Traces of this evolution
could be detected
through photon radiation,
now just a few degrees above
absolute zero--
faint and red-shifted.
Still boundless,
now curved by masses,
cooled in the vast expanse.
The bread had risen,
the butter spread.
It was nothing,
but it was everything.
Part 2-
Without God
how do we account
for the precision
in the afterglow,
the humming background
of the microwave static,
so finely tuned,
the critical rate
of inflationary expansion
resulting in
even heat distribution?
The zephyr of intention.
How many times
might it have played out--
an explosion
immediately retracting,
folding back in on itself?
The blank page
where words were written,
then crumpled, tossed
in the waste bin,
erased from existence.
The unknown unknown--
Creative Director,
Master Architect,
The Virtuoso,
Design Manager,
Technical Specialist.
Playing with the dials,
making adjustments,
iterating through loops,
testing the mathematics,
letting chaos loose.
Until the output tried,
uncaught, it printed.
Could it have as easily been
an act of chemistry?
A recursion of collisions,
generations of reactions,
interacting infinitely.
Until the moment
that changed everything
in a billion-trillion-trillionth of a second,
the possibility of human life,
our creation,
a probability.
But first,
helium and lithium atoms
began forming.
And within hours,
what was once fertile,
rich soil,
increasingly exhausted.
As photons fled and space widened,
temperatures continued dropping.
What particles remained
became progressively attractive.
Denser materials compounded
and compounded.
Curving the dark velvet,
drawing in larger structures
from the nearby
smoothed surface.
Clusters of elements
dancing in delicate orbits--
matter of all shapes and sizes,
in step with the center
of the heaviest collapsing masses.
Galaxies were forming.
Some spiraled,
spinning tightly
in their waltzes.
Others lacked rhythm,
two-stepping
into more oval objects.
Stars ignited
from hydrogen and helium gases,
breaking down,
creating thermonuclear fusions,
balancing a gravitational pull,
shining across a spectrum:
Yellow--
embracing phases,
shedding layers,
enriching future generations.
Red--
savoring the long journey,
still theorizing its end.
Blue--
burning out faster,
going in a burst of glory,
scattering carbon, oxygen, and iron,
or collapsing under its own gravity,
inviting suspicion, lore, and mystery,
where light does not escape--
a gravity trap,
the dark heart of the cosmos,
finally in '69
christened--
the Black Hole.
Where everything we think
we know about the universe
is tested, dissolves,
and breaks down--
inverts into a parallel world
or stores the records
of all past versions.
We search
for the information
at this horizon
hurriedly,
fearing it dissipates,
leaving a theory of everything
forever out of reach.
how do we account
for the precision
in the afterglow,
the humming background
of the microwave static,
so finely tuned,
the critical rate
of inflationary expansion
resulting in
even heat distribution?
The zephyr of intention.
How many times
might it have played out--
an explosion
immediately retracting,
folding back in on itself?
The blank page
where words were written,
then crumpled, tossed
in the waste bin,
erased from existence.
The unknown unknown--
Creative Director,
Master Architect,
The Virtuoso,
Design Manager,
Technical Specialist.
Playing with the dials,
making adjustments,
iterating through loops,
testing the mathematics,
letting chaos loose.
Until the output tried,
uncaught, it printed.
Could it have as easily been
an act of chemistry?
A recursion of collisions,
generations of reactions,
interacting infinitely.
Until the moment
that changed everything
in a billion-trillion-trillionth of a second,
the possibility of human life,
our creation,
a probability.
But first,
helium and lithium atoms
began forming.
And within hours,
what was once fertile,
rich soil,
increasingly exhausted.
As photons fled and space widened,
temperatures continued dropping.
What particles remained
became progressively attractive.
Denser materials compounded
and compounded.
Curving the dark velvet,
drawing in larger structures
from the nearby
smoothed surface.
Clusters of elements
dancing in delicate orbits--
matter of all shapes and sizes,
in step with the center
of the heaviest collapsing masses.
Galaxies were forming.
Some spiraled,
spinning tightly
in their waltzes.
Others lacked rhythm,
two-stepping
into more oval objects.
Stars ignited
from hydrogen and helium gases,
breaking down,
creating thermonuclear fusions,
balancing a gravitational pull,
shining across a spectrum:
Yellow--
embracing phases,
shedding layers,
enriching future generations.
Red--
savoring the long journey,
still theorizing its end.
Blue--
burning out faster,
going in a burst of glory,
scattering carbon, oxygen, and iron,
or collapsing under its own gravity,
inviting suspicion, lore, and mystery,
where light does not escape--
a gravity trap,
the dark heart of the cosmos,
finally in '69
christened--
the Black Hole.
Where everything we think
we know about the universe
is tested, dissolves,
and breaks down--
inverts into a parallel world
or stores the records
of all past versions.
We search
for the information
at this horizon
hurriedly,
fearing it dissipates,
leaving a theory of everything
forever out of reach.
Part -3
We assume light is wavy,
rippling
in the darkness,
lacy traces
racing across the universe.
Encrypted
with messages
of our
veiled origins.
Not photon particles, clustered
and individually dispersing.
Characteristic crests and
troughs,
escape velocity, depending
on the
strength of nearby gravity.
Creating a point
at which light cannot escape--
not a wall, but a drain
collecting the lost remnants:
memories accumulating
from experience,
sights seen across the distance.
Traveling at constant speed,
streams of consciousness
are caught by these voids in space--
dense masses, oblivious
to their bending black bodice,
stretched seams,
and tight closures.
Lost in thought, focused
on future destinations,
light curves around these objects
along the nearest straight path,
toward eager eyes, gazing up
in anticipation of it.
The closer the waves get
to the center of mass,
the sharper their curve inward--
passing self-reflection,
diving in headfirst,
asking questions like:
What am I capable of?
What is life's meaning?
What gives something worth?
Until there is no turning back.
Speculation and contemplation--
all-consuming,
all cylinders fire off.
The fastest thing in the universe,
now trapped.
A Pandora's Box,
where only hope is left.
As darkness prevails,
nothing else stands a chance--
structures of the past
dissolve in a bitter romance.
The field of gravity,
being no match,
we pass the horizon
without noticing it.
An infinite free fall
into the abyss.
Where each crest
is farther and
farther spread.
Time appears to stop,
stuck within
a moment,
we didn't say
what
needed
to be said.
As if
space
condensed,
our
lungs
unable
to contract,
our breath lost,
once
again,
caught,
in
our
chest,
ad
nauseam.
While
optimistic
onlookers
move
forward,
forever
in
wait
of
our
final
message.
rippling
in the darkness,
lacy traces
racing across the universe.
Encrypted
with messages
of our
veiled origins.
Not photon particles, clustered
and individually dispersing.
Characteristic crests and
troughs,
escape velocity, depending
on the
strength of nearby gravity.
Creating a point
at which light cannot escape--
not a wall, but a drain
collecting the lost remnants:
memories accumulating
from experience,
sights seen across the distance.
Traveling at constant speed,
streams of consciousness
are caught by these voids in space--
dense masses, oblivious
to their bending black bodice,
stretched seams,
and tight closures.
Lost in thought, focused
on future destinations,
light curves around these objects
along the nearest straight path,
toward eager eyes, gazing up
in anticipation of it.
The closer the waves get
to the center of mass,
the sharper their curve inward--
passing self-reflection,
diving in headfirst,
asking questions like:
What am I capable of?
What is life's meaning?
What gives something worth?
Until there is no turning back.
Speculation and contemplation--
all-consuming,
all cylinders fire off.
The fastest thing in the universe,
now trapped.
A Pandora's Box,
where only hope is left.
As darkness prevails,
nothing else stands a chance--
structures of the past
dissolve in a bitter romance.
The field of gravity,
being no match,
we pass the horizon
without noticing it.
An infinite free fall
into the abyss.
Where each crest
is farther and
farther spread.
Time appears to stop,
stuck within
a moment,
we didn't say
what
needed
to be said.
As if
space
condensed,
our
lungs
unable
to contract,
our breath lost,
once
again,
caught,
in
our
chest,
ad
nauseam.
While
optimistic
onlookers
move
forward,
forever
in
wait
of
our
final
message.
Part -4
Sometimes the outer regions collapse
blowing out debris
across the universe
shining more brightly
than all the other stars in the galaxy
Proof it had existed, crowning
the glory in which it had lived
visible to the naked
peering eyes
of the future, in a violent act
Turning night to day
rivaling the sun in brilliance
even across a great distance
emitting killer radiance
as if vindictive, unwilling to die alone
Taking the more fragile with it
those who unknowingly settled too close
we, safe in our beds, study
known hypergiants, yellow
as if to say,
"Yield! Beware!
I am awesome, but dangerous!
I provide the rawness you need,
the material that you will later consume!
That, used to build your heavier elements!
Bodies, you depend on. Energy, you use."
blowing out debris
across the universe
shining more brightly
than all the other stars in the galaxy
Proof it had existed, crowning
the glory in which it had lived
visible to the naked
peering eyes
of the future, in a violent act
Turning night to day
rivaling the sun in brilliance
even across a great distance
emitting killer radiance
as if vindictive, unwilling to die alone
Taking the more fragile with it
those who unknowingly settled too close
we, safe in our beds, study
known hypergiants, yellow
as if to say,
"Yield! Beware!
I am awesome, but dangerous!
I provide the rawness you need,
the material that you will later consume!
That, used to build your heavier elements!
Bodies, you depend on. Energy, you use."
Part -5
In the remnantsof exploding stars,
in a place once
condensed and too hot,
in the course of time
gave birth to life.
Having expanded out,
leaving behind space
in the wake of annihilation
the cooled particles
gave rise to larger elements.
Primitive and still poisonous
they continued to conjugate,
combining in new ways.
Assembling structures
that self-replicate.
Surviving through fitness
of the evolving environment.
In worlds like our own
they consumed hydrogen sulfide,
methane, and carbon dioxide,
Producing a new atmosphere
in which oxygen breathing
organisms could thrive.
The universe,
and all its complexity,
was growing exponentially.
This was an era
of self-discovery, of
learning its boundaries--
'What all could I be?
I may have started out small,
too hot to handle,
but in the cradling curvature
of Space-Time
I solidified…'
General theories came to life
and predictions realized;
humans ventured further
and further into its intricacies.
Threads and spooky stuff
began to tantalize.
In a world physics described,
an intuition was building.
A thought emerged, 'it wasn't all
figured out yet.'
As we observed small-scale effects
of what appeared to be:
Quantum mechanics.
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