Back in the day, Einstein, after discovering a few important implications about gravity, through the theory of relativity, realized that if there is a certain amount of gravitational force between two objects, then, every object in the universe must be pulled towards the other.

Einstein didn’t like this idea much, so he came up with a new force called the Cosmological constant. This force would counter gravity causing the universe to be static, or standing still… Einstein later called this his biggest blunder, when the Hubble telescope was used to discover that the universe is expanding, and definitely not standing still.

Nearly 10 years ago, physicists found out that not only is the universe expanding, but its expansion is accelerating. Now, just think about what that means for a second. That means that gravity is being overcome by something. It’s effect isn’t wholly resisting some other force that is forcing galaxies apart.

Scientists are now finding that there must be some cosmological constant to explain this accelerated expansion. They’re calling it dark energy, and it’s not just enough to overpower gravity, but they’re saying that this ‘dark energy’ makes up roughly 74% of the universe.

Observing these galaxies that are accelerating away from ours, physicists are able to calculate what’s called the “w-parameter” which describes the ‘density’ of this dark energy (or just the cosmological constant) that opposes gravity. In order for Einstein to be correct with the model he created, the w-parameter must be exactly -1.

So what have they calculated? The team doing the research won’t have a final answer until next year, but as of now… it is -1 with a plus or minus 10% error! So, according to these results, Einstein was correct in what he called his biggest blunder. Now this isn’t just it. After this, there is a lot of theorizing and explaining to do.

Physics describes physical phenomena, but there is absolutely no explanation for why this dark energy exists or how it manifests itself without being traced. There are many (currently) untestable theories of the universe that could explain it, but obviously, physicists have a long way to go.

Bill - check out this Johnny Cash video… awesome!

If you haven’t heard, I started playing cello recently. It was definitely a fine decision. I’ve enjoyed it so much! I had my first lesson a couple weeks ago and my next one is either this coming week or the week after. Using a bow was extremely awkward for my hands at first, but I’m really starting to get used to it. The strings are tuned very differently from guitar. Guitar goes up a perfect fourth each string, but on cello, it’s a perfect fifth. It’s not harder or easier that way, just completely different.

While I was cruising YouTube for videos I might be interested in, I came across videos of a group called Project. It’s 3 guys, a flute player who beat boxes while he plays, a cellist, and a contrabassist. It’s really interesting and there are many videos. My favorite song that they do is a jazz piece called “Fables and Faubus”. Here’s a video of them playing it…

If you’re interested check out more videos of them on YouTube, they have a ton of really great covers.

School is going extremely well right now. I’m maintaining straight As. My test average in Calculus is 108%. My grade is somewhere 99% or above. Chemistry is also going well. I start my first physics class next semester. I’m so excited.

Thanksgiving was great. I went to my Mom’s house with my sister. My mom, despite worsening problems she’s been having with leg pain this year, cooked an incredible feast! Turkey, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, corn, biscuits, peach and blackberry cobbler, pumpkin pie, and dutch apple pie. I definitely have a lot to be thankful for… my family, my school, my friends, and my wonderful girlfriend (coming up on 10 months on Monday!). I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!