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Jadi nggak bakal ada kiamat? -- 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 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites Share this page BBC © MMX The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more. ------------------------------------ Post message: prole...@egroups.com Subscribe : proletar-subscr...@egroups.com Unsubscribe : proletar-unsubscr...@egroups.com List owner : proletar-ow...@egroups.com Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: proletar-dig...@yahoogroups.com proletar-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: proletar-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/