SPACE — Space is an almost perfect vacuum, full of cosmic emptiness. Gravity is the source of all this emptiness.
But to truly understand the vacuum of the universe, you can’t compare it to a vacuum cleaner at home. Because a vacuum does the opposite.
By definition, empty space contains no matter. Space is almost an absolute vacuum. Not because of suction but because the space is almost empty.
That vacuum produces very low pressure. While it’s impossible to replicate the vacuum of space on Earth, scientists can create an extremely low-pressure environment called a partial vacuum.
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“Understanding the concept of a vacuum is almost foreign because it is so contrary to the way we live,” said Jackie Faherty, senior scientist in the Department of Astrophysics at New York City’s American Museum of Natural History.
According to him, our experience as humans is completely limited to a very dense and dynamic part of the universe. So, it may be difficult for us to truly understand nothingness or emptiness.
But in reality, what is normal for us on Earth, is actually rare in the context of the universe. There, most of it was almost empty.
According to NASA, the average density of the universe is 5.9 protons (positively charged subatomic particles) per cubic meter. However, gravity then enlarges the void in certain regions by causing matter in the universe to gather.
Basically, two objects with mass will attract each other. That’s gravity. “In other words, matter likes to be around other matter,” Faherty said.
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In space, gravity brings nearby objects closer together. Together, their collective mass increases, and more mass means they can exert a stronger gravitational pull. That way, they can attract more matter into their cosmic thicket.
Mass increases, then gravitational pull, then mass. “This is an insurmountable effect,” says Caltech theoretical astrophysicist Cameron Hummels.
Hummoels said that when these gravitational hot spots attract nearby matter, the space between them is emptied, creating what is known as a cosmic vacuum. But the universe didn’t start like that.
2023-10-02 11:01:00
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