Scientist to speak on dark cosmos
Ever look up at the night skies and wonder what's really out there?
Dan Hooper has been asking that question for years. In 2006, Hooper published a book about the possibilities.
An astrophysicist at Fermilab in Batavia for the past three years, Hooper will be discussing his work and the theory that dark energy and dark matter make up about 95 percent of the universe during a lecture at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Theosophical Society headquarters in Wheaton.
You won't have to understand Einstein's theory of relativity to appreciate Hooper's talk. His book, "Dark Cosmos: In Search of Our Universe's Missing Mass and Energy," is written for anyone curious about the big question of life to understand.
"Dark Cosmos is entirely non-technical … My mother understands it," Hooper said.
The theory is that the things we see and feel, like this newspaper or your cup of morning coffee, make up only 5 percent of the universe. The rest is dark matter and dark energy, two competing forces that somehow keep it all from flying apart in an instant.
"We don't know what it is but we have a pretty good idea," Hooper said, describing dark matter as "some type of particle."
The theory of dark matter has been around for awhile. Scientists first surmised its existence because of the balance that keeps the Earth orbiting around the sun rather than flying off somewhere else.
"Dark energy is a much harder nut to crack," said Hooper, who lives in Oak Park.
The fact is the universe is actually flying apart at a pretty fast rate, he said.
In 1998, with the help of the powerful Hubble telescope, scientists observed things moving faster and faster and faster away.
"The universe is growing," Hooper said, noting that dark energy appears to be the culprit while dark matter seems to be slowing that expansion.
Albert Einstein theorized about such concepts back in 1915 when he included the "cosmological constant" in his theory of relativity to explain why the universe doesn't collapse.
He later tossed the idea and called it his greatest blunder. But scientists studying dark energy and dark matter now believe that Einstein was on the right track.
Hooper said even in his youth he explored some of the "big picture" questions about the universe and how it all fits together.
"Now that I'm in science these questions have gotten even bigger," he said.
Hooper and his fellow scientists aren't the only ones interested in such issues. He gave a sold-out talk on the dark side of the cosmos at Fermilab in November and has scheduled other Midwest appearances. He's also writing another book while continuing his Fermi research on dark matter and energy, supersymmetry and neutrinos.
Ruthann Fowler, program coordinator for the Theosophical Society, said Hooper's discussion fits in well with the society's mission to encourage the comparable study of religion, philosophy and science.
"We are interested in these big questions," she said.
Hooper's talk at the Theosophical Society is open to the public and no reservations are required. The cost is $9 for guests and $7 for members. He also will be signing copies of his book after the discussion.
The Theosophical Society is located at 1926 N. Main St. in Wheaton. More information is available at www.theosophical.org or (630) 668-1571.
If you go
What: "Dark Cosmos: The Universe's Missing Mass and Energy"
Where: Theosophical Society, 1926 N. Main St., Wheaton
When: 7 p.m. today
Cost: $9 for guests and $7 for members
Details: (630) 668-1571 or www.theosophical.org