Re:2.5 Gigapixel Image of the Orion Constellation Took 5 Yea...
by GuB-42 on Saturday October 24, 2020 @10:44AM
(#24879494)
We are always expecting more of the same, until it isn't. We are constantly observing unexpected things. Both with regards to life (on Earth, obviously, since we didn't find life anywhere else) and with regards to celestial bodies and physics.
And this is to be expected. We are building models to match our observations. "More of the same" is the basic assumption, but it doesn't mean it is true. That's why we experiment: to verify our models and if found wrong, to update them.
The more things our model takes into account, the more we can expect it to explain everything, meaning the more we can expect to find "more of the same", but it is never a given.
I mean, we thought we had the universe almost completely figured out in the early 1900s, with just a few details remaining. The "details" turned out to be quantum physics and general relativity...
And this is to be expected. We are building models to match our observations. "More of the same" is the basic assumption, but it doesn't mean it is true. That's why we experiment: to verify our models and if found wrong, to update them. The more things our model takes into account, the more we can expect it to explain everything, meaning the more we can expect to find "more of the same", but it is never a given.
I mean, we thought we had the universe almost completely figured out in the early 1900s, with just a few details remaining. The "details" turned out to be quantum physics and general relativity...