Science is a tremendous achievement of mankind, but when theories are confronted with reality, it often turns out that they are just roughly approaching it. In astronomy in particular, this leads to a race between theory and observation, and to the fact that we often find things that seem to call into question all that has been known so far . IFL Science presents several examples of phenomena that puzzled scientists.
The problem of the horizon
The Big Bang Theory is one of the most successful theories of the 20th century. There are a number of evidence to support it, but also some peculiarities that need to be smooth. One is known as "a problem on the horizon," and it briefly states that the universe is too homogeneous.
If we look at two opposing points from the universe - using the temperature map of the universe, known as the cosmic microwave background - we see that each region in a strange way has the same temperature. How could they have the same temperature if they never met? According to thermodynamics, at some point they must have had contact.
The explanation is that they actually had contact. The universe must have been much more compressed than we originally thought. Then we need a mechanism that makes enlargement happen faster at the very beginning. Otherwise, we simply can not explain the current size. The solution to all these problems is called "cosmic inflation", but the fact that it really exists still needs to be confirmed.
Star Tabie
KIC 8462852, or Tabie star, is probably the most mysterious star in the galaxy. Its variation is absolutely unpredictable and does not resemble anything we know. It darkens with 15 to 22% for periods of up to 80 days. Usually a star can darken its light by about 1%, which may indicate that at that moment a planet is passing between it and our telescopes.
One of the hypotheses is that darkening may be caused by a gigantic alien megastructure that travels the star at a distance of 1,500 light-years from the Earth. Another hypothesis can not be ruled out, for example, that a "flock" of comets walks around the star and causes its strange darkening.
The star who died twice
In 2014, astronomers observe a star, becoming supernova. The event itself is remarkable, but what makes it really special is the fact that the star has already become a supernova in 1954. Scientists believe its mass before the explosion was 50 times greater than that of The sun. Therefore, they suggest that its size may be related to its unusual behavior. The star, known as the iPTF14hls, may be the first open example of a throbbing pair of unstable superheroes. The only problem with this hypothesis is that, according to current theories, the stars that explode in this way should no longer exist. But obviously the cosmos is not interested in our theories.
The Solar Crown
The solar crown, the halo of plasma around the Sun, is extremely hot. It exceeds millions of degrees and scientists are not aware of why. It is about 1000 times hotter than the surface of the Sun, which is odd. Could the air above the flames be hotter than the fire itself? Unlike the fire, however, the crown extends over thousands of kilometers and is much hotter than the surface beneath it, as well as from the interplanetary space outside.
Scientists are not fully aware of why the crown is so hot. There may not be a single process, and the high temperatures are due to a number of factors. There are a number of promising assumptions (eg, nanoes), but there are still many questions waiting to be answered.
The speed of the winds of Venus
The winds of Venus are too fast for existing climate models that describe the behavior of the atmosphere. They are 60 times faster than the planet's rotation around its axis. Earth winds are created by pressure differences in nearby areas. These differences in pressure are caused by differences in air temperature. But Venus does not have such dramatic differences in the landscape that justify the presence of such powerful winds.
Moreover, the way clouds of Venus are formed is also difficult to understand. There is a huge immobile wave in the upper layer of the atmosphere, irregular patterns on the night side of the planet and a strange Y-form on the living room. Observations of the changing atmosphere of Venus continue, so perhaps one day the cause of these unusual phenomena will become clear.
Saturn's hexagon
If we are talking about clouds, we can not help but mention Saturn's polar vortex - in the shape of a hexagon of varying color and vague origin. It was spotted for the first time in 1981 by Voyager, and then even more clearly by Cassini. It is known that its color changes from blue to gold depending on the season, but physicists are still trying to understand how it was formed. Although they have been able to create hexagonal vortices in laboratory conditions, the phenomenon is not fully understood. For example, it is unclear why there is no such system on the planet's South Pole.
Explosive, too big for its star
NGTS-1b is a planet as large as Jupiter, as well as hundreds of others discovered over the last few decades. In contrast, however, it circles around a red dwarf - a small star, which is about 12 percent of the Sun's volume.
So large planets should not be formed around so small stars. Dwarf stars can not collect so much material to form large planets. But, here it is. Researchers are now looking for more examples to better understand the phenomenon.
Source: Science Alert ,https://www.gettyimages.com/