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NEWTON Home Page NEWTON Teachers Visit Our Archives Ask A Question How To Ask A Question Question of the Week Our Expert Scientists Volunteer at NEWTON! Frequently Asked Questions Referencing NEWTON About NEWTON About Ask A Scientist Education At Argonne The Black Part of Outer Space 
Name: Fairview
Status: Other
Age: N/A
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: Prior to 1993
Question:
I would like to know if the black part is gas and could be a reference point for finding objects in motion. By the black part, I mean outer space.


Replies:
The density of gas in most of nearby space is about one atom or ion per cubic meter, so it is very low density. We do not need to have any gas present to measure the motion of objects in space. One of the current questions about the black part of space is how much cold and therefore invisible mass there is out there. Some new experiments are starting to suggest there is much "dark matter" out there.

Sam Bowen

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