How much of the universe have we already discovered?

As of right now, we have only discovered 4% of the universe. The other 96% of the universe is made of dark matter. Dark matter is something that we can’t see, can’t detect and still can’t really comprehend. Hence why we have yet to explore it. The farthest we can see from earth is 13 billion light years away from us.  It’s estimated that we will eventually be able to see up to 46 billion light years away. This meaning there are galaxies who’s light is travelling to us right now.  There are 2.7 trillion galaxies that we can’t see yet, on top of the 2 trillion that we can already see.  As of right now we are only seeing 43% of the galaxies we’ll eventually be able to see.

What technology do we need?

Right now the most efficient technology that we’re using is telescopes. We have used ground-based and space telescopes. Some space telescopes that we have sent to explore our galaxy include the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope. From the research that I’ve done I came to the conclusion that telescopes are probably our best bet. We already know how to send them into space to explore / take pictures so that we can see what’s going on. We just have to figure out how we could send these telescopes outside of our solar system / galaxy in a time efficient way.

If you want to learn more about the Hubble Space Telescope see this video:

How long will this take? How can we use this to our advantage?

The universe has been expanding and growing since it was created. The universe is finite however and will stop growing eventually. It has taken us up until the 21st century to discover only 4% of the universe. Although we are rapidly learning and inventing new things, it will still probably take us more than 21 more centuries to explore the rest of the universe. If and when we explored / discovered the rest of what’s out there, how could we use this knowledge to our advantage? While exploring other stars, planets, moons, solar systems, galaxies etc. we could stumble upon other life forms. As well, climate change is beginning to get really bad on earth. By exploring other places in the universe, we could have a chance at finding a different habitable planet for when we can no longer live on earth. This also would be a tremendous learning opportunity to further understand how things work outside of our solar system.

 

Bibliography

• Title of source:  Ocean vs Space

 

Date published: June 1, 20201

Date  accessed: November 3,2021

https://www.worldwideboat.com/news/miscellaneous/ocean-vs-space#:~:text=To%20date%2C%20scientists%20have%20explored,percent%20%E2%80%93%20that%20scientists%20cannot%20see.

• Title of source: How much of the unobservable universe wil we someday be able to see?

Date published: March 5, 2019

Date accessed: November 3, 2021

https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2019/03/05/how-much-of-the-unobservable-universe-will-we-someday-be-able-to-see/?sh=679a18faf827

• Title of Source: 16 ways technology is mapping the universe

Date of publication: February 18, 2021

Date accessed: November 4, 2021

https://matadornetwork.com/bnt/16-ways-technology-is-mapping-the-universe/