The Great Attractor

[Spinward Scout]

"So, that's it then."

They were both looking at the results from the Jump Explorer Telescope, or JET, the Project to see the Great Attractor.

The Great Attractor is a region of gravitational attraction in intergalactic space and the apparent central gravitational point of the Laniakea Supercluster of galaxies that includes the Milky Way galaxy, as well as about 100,000 other galaxies. The observed attraction suggests a localized concentration of mass having the order of 10¹⁶ solar masses. However, it is obscured by the Milky Way's galactic plane, lying behind the Zone of Avoidance, so that in visible light wavelengths, the Great Attractor is difficult to observe directly.

Hence the necessity of the Jump Explorer Telescope. The Jump Explorer Telescope went up 'above' the galactic plane, making hundreds of jumps to get the best view point.

"The theory was right. 10¹⁶ solar masses."

"It's a Black Hole," the other said.

"Yeah," was all the first could say.

"The galaxy is being pulled into an ultra-supermassive Black f**king Hole!" the second one blurted out.

The first one looked down at the floor.

"So what do we do?" the second one asked.

The first one said softly: "Well, it's not like we can evacuate the galaxy."

 

[coliver988]

or - dark matter and not a black hole?

https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/black-hole-centre-of-milky-way-dark-matter

 

[Spinward Scout]

It's an interesting theory.

But I don't believe in Dark Matter.

Even Einstein said he was wrong.

 

[Vargr Breath]

Niven's Puppeteers had this all figured out and were leaving.

 

[G. Kashkanun Anderson]

Good Lord. Wait until these people hear about the heat death of the universe.

 

[MichaelSTee]

Good Lord. Wait until these people hear about the heat death of the universe.

Invest in ice machines!!

 

[Grav_Moped]

Invest in ice machines!!

Not quite.... but on the other hand:
The Last Question -- Isaac Asimov
(*.pdf link)

If you've ever read it, you'll remember it.
If you haven't, enjoy!

 

[mike wightman]

It's an interesting theory.

It is.

But I don't believe in Dark Matter.

Neither do I since there is no evidence for its existence as a "particle", it is an anomaly that may have other explanations. Belief is for religion, not science.

Even Einstein said he was wrong.

Einstein got stuff wrong.

 

[McPerth]

But I don't believe in Dark Matter.

I neither believe on it nor deny it, as my knowledge about it is not enough, but I've always thought this is the new name for Ether (from my ignorance, I don't see too many differences).

And I enjoyed playing Space 1889...

 

[coliver988]

and people did not believe in bacteria either, yet here we are. Who knows what we'll discover in the future?

I've read (most) of this book, and one of the themes is that you never know what will change our entire understanding of things. We can't plan for it in a nice, neat tech level tree.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Structure_of_Scientific_Revolutions

 

[bookwyrm]

The first one said softly: "Well, it's not like we can evacuate the galaxy."

Goosebumps.

It really drew me in. I had to read it twice before I noticed

Jump Explorer Telescope