Yesterday I spent a bit of time reading through the scientific paper regarding the flow of galaxy clusters pulled by possible dark matter beyond the universe’s horizon. I don’t know what it is about cosmology, but I find it fascinating. It’s weird stuff, completely crazy ideas, and very difficult to understand, but something about it just gets me. Maybe it’s the knowledge that we (well, scientists) are learning so much about our universe. Not just the small neighborhood around us, but the far reaches of the universe. (Maybe it’s the same reason I crave travel, not to other states in the Midwest, but international travel to Australia, India, Switzerland, and other faraway locales.)
Granted, quite a bit of cosmology is a whole lot of theory, but those ideas come out of observations. Some of those concepts are so weird, you just can’t make them up. I don’t know if I’d say it’s the abstraction of cosmology that I enjoy. I’m not really one for abstract ideas. For example, quantum mechanics was my most dreaded subject in school.
Maybe my interest in cosmology is related to the beauty in the universe (and the scientific process). Astronomers observe something and can find a place for it in the structure of science. Galaxy surveys and structure simulations all show an incredible organized natural beauty to our universe. Cosmology — and really all areas of astronomy — have a way of combining the analytical with art.
And a quick look at the cosmology discussion thread in our online forums, many of you are as intrigued in this topic as I am.