Introduction
Space is agog with enigmas, curious phenomena, and astounding discoveries that appear to defy any current understanding of the universe. From invisible forces that shape galaxies to planets that sugar not science, the universe is a far-out setting for mind-boggling discoveries.
In the meantime, scientists are still mapping the distant corners of space, revealing bizarre cosmic structures, inexplicable signals, and theories that drench their beliefs about the universe. Here are 10 enigmas of space that will make you reconsider your whole perception of the cosmos.
10. The Great Attractor-The Undetectable Force Pulling Our Galaxy
Location: 250 million light-years away
Table of Contents
Why It’s Mysterious:
- An unseen force known as the Great Attractor is pulling the Milky Way and thousands of other galaxies toward it.
- Scientists do not know what it is. It is believed to lie behind the so-called Zone of Avoidance, an area obscured from observation due to the dense stars and dust of the Milky Way.
Possible Explanations:
- Some scientists attribute it to a massive supercluster of galaxies that has enormous gravitational pull.
- Others attribute it to dark matter or unknown cosmic structure.
Fun Fact:
At this time, the “Great Attractor”, as it is usually referred to, is pulling us with a speed of 1.3 million miles per hour (2.2 million km/h)!
9. Rogue Planets-Wandering Worlds that Do Not Orbit a Star
Location: Scattered throughout the galaxy
Why It’s Mysterious:
- Unlike normal planets that orbit stars, rogue planets wander through space alone, without a sun.
- In some cases, such planets might be well-muffled and keep internal heat, in which case significant measures of alien life could potentially dwell upon them.
Possible Explanations:
- It is possible that these planets were ejected from their parent star systems due to disturbances from other planets.
Fun Fact:
Astronomers estimate there might be billions of rogue planets throughout the Milky Way!
8. The Cosmic “Cold Spot”-A Pretty Big Hole in the Universe
Location: Billions of light-years in the distance
Why It’s Mysterious:
- The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) – the light after the Big Bang – but one region is curiously colder than anticipated.
- This region called Cold Spot is 2.0 billion light-years wide and is less cultured than other regions.
Theories:
- Some scientists think it’s just a random hole in the universe.
- Some suggest it’s evidence of a universe parallel to ours, bumping into our universe.
Fun Fact:
Some theories state Cold Spot could be described as the “bruise” left from a universe colliding into another universe!
7. Fast Radio Bursts: Mysterious Signals from Deep Space
Location: Unknown origins, billions of light-years away
Why It Is Mysterious:
- Intense bursts of radio waves that last just milliseconds all at once gain more energy than the Sun puts out in a whole year.
- Some repeat from the same location, while some seem to burst just once.
Explanations:
- Some scientists believe these emanate from magnetars, while others believe these to be signals from some evolved alien civilization!
Fun Fact:
Of the repeating FRB, FRB 121102, its home was set to be 3 billion light-years away, and nobody knows why it repeats.
6. Dark Flow – The galaxies are rushing towards something unknown
Location: Far-reaching light-years
Why It’s Mysterious:
- When scientists did a survey of our universe, they stumbled upon most giant galaxy clusters begin moving and converging to the same direction at alien speeds toward something beyond the visible universe.
- The unknown force known as Dark Flow is an appealing interpretation.
Possible Explanation:
- Some scientists believe this is due to immense unseen cosmic structure.
- Others speculate it is evidence of another universe that is located right along ours!
Fun Fact:
NASA’s WMAP satellite discovered Dark Flow, and as of now, no one has the slightest clue as to why.
5. Oumuamua mystery-a strange object from another star system
Location: Passed through our solar system in 2017
Why It’s Mysterious:
- Oumuamua is the first known interstellar object to our solar system in recent history.
- A comet is usually associated with a tail; Oumuamua left without one and mysteriously accelerated.
Possible Explanation:
- Some scientists think it’s an unusual comet from which gas is released invisibly.
- Others believe that it could be an alien probe because of the strange acceleration.
Fun Fact:
Still, Oumuamua is cigar-shaped and hundreds of meters long unique objects still lurking around!
4. The Galactic Supervoid – The Largest Known Structure in the Universe
Location: Between galaxies in the universe
Why It Is Mysterious:
- A supervoid is a largely empty region of space, a giant one measuring 1.8 billion light-years in width!
- It is a cosmic mystery because it is very much underpopulated with galaxies.
Possible Explanation:
- One explanation is that dark energy or a huge cosmic event made that void.
- While some think it could indicate that another universe is “pushing” against ours.
Fun Fact:
If one went through this void, nothing would be seen for several billions of light-years!
3. The “Wow!” Signal-Another Alien Message?
Location: Detected from deep space in 1977
Why It Is Mysterious:
- It was a strong radio signal that lasted for 72 seconds and was detected from deep space.
- No one has heard it again, nor has anyone correctly explained its origin.
Possible Explanation:
- Alien transmission: some think.
- A rare cosmic event: some say. However, there’s no known source that matches it.
Fun Fact:
The intensity of the signal startled astronomer Jerry Ehman so badly that he penned “Wow!” on the data printout, which accounts for the signal’s name.
2. Dark Matter – The Invisible Mass Binding the Universe Together
Location: All across the universe.
Why It Is A Mystery:
- The mass of quiet, unknown things that govern roughly 85% of the universe is called dark matter.
- We see it or can feel it, but it becomes effective when the big entities move around.
Possible Explanation:
- It might be a new kind of an unknown particle altogether.
- Some presume it might denote hidden dimensions.
Fun fact:
Scientists recognize dark matter to exist solely on account of its gravitational reflection on galaxies.
1. The Universe Is Expanding—But Why Is It Accelerating?
Location: Everywhere in space
What’s Comical:
- Instead of slowing down, the expansion of the universe is speeding up.
- Scientists believe it’s because of a mysterious force called ‘dark energy.’
One Possible Explanation:
- Dark energy could be a fundamental force of the universe that we have not yet gleaned an understanding of.
- Some theories say the universe could either expand forever or suffer an inevitable rip in “Big Rip”.
Fun fact:
For this discovery, the 2011 Nobel Prize for physics was awarded, yet, we still don’t know what dark energy is!
Conclusion
The universe is truly a mystery that confounds our perception of reality. From abysmal, bizarre voids in space to the strangest forces, it is very much more mysterious than we ever thought.
