Caption: an interview dialogue
- Are dark matter models unsuited to explain observations? [the "dark matter models" and "to explain observations" parts are poorly edited onto the image, overlaying the original text]
- In my view, they are unsuited.
- Why?
- That's my opinion, don't ask me why.
End of caption
Dark matter is the mainstream among physicists, but internet commentators keep saying it can't be right because it "feels off".
Of course, skepticism is good for science! You just need to justify it more than saying the mainstream "feels off".
For people who prefer alternative explanations over dark matter for non-vibe-based reasons, I would love to hear your thoughts! Leave a comment!
They first came up with it to explain galactic rotation curves. After that, many new observations came in and the model successfully explained them. To name a few: bullet cluster dynamics, gravitational lensing around galaxies, baryon acoustic oscillation.
It is neat that general relativity is used in GNSS, but I'd bet that GNSS could still be invented even if we don't know general relativity. Engineers would probably have came up with a scheme to empirically calibrate the time dilation effect. It would be harder, but compared to the complexity of GNSS as a whole not that much harder.
You can make a lot of predictions with Lambda CDM. But yeah they're not going to help anyone manipulate objective reality. Even so, >95% of math, astronomy, and probably many other fields of research don't help anyone manipulate reality either. It's harsh to say they have no value, but perhaps you're right.
At least let me say this: finding explanations to satisfy personal curiosity (doing it for vibes, as you put it) is different from projecting personal feelings onto objective understanding of reality (the vibes-based astrophysics I was referring to in the meme).