High confidence

June 2011: How much of the cosmos do scientists actually understand with certainty?

Contributed by Bob Berman

Published: April 25, 2011

This was originally going to be a column about M87, the amazing ball-shaped galaxy at the heart of the Virgo cluster. It’s got everything a lover of strange would adore, like a federal-deficit-sized black hole and a blue jet gushing from its west side at seemingly 5 times the speed of light. But checking the latest M87 research, I kept finding experts saying, “We don’t yet know …” and “We’re not certain if …” This brought up a different topic: confidence.

Check out what our readers are saying!

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BRUCE VOGEL from HAWAII said:

The squirrel on the highway.....I have been on this little island for some time now, we have no squirrels. It has been years since I saw one of those obsessive-compulsive varmint's do the tripple-reverse in front of me on the highway. I--like most--don't know much, but I know one thing: I laughed 'till I cried....thanks Bob!

JOHN BROSEMER from NEVADA said:

For many decades the entire world has been fooled into thinking that everything scientists produce are proven facts. Most facts have unprovable suppositions for roots.
Whats wrong with an increased use of the phrase "the facts as we know them today..."
Thanks Bob for keeping things in perspective!

MARINA PHARIS from VIRGINIA said:

Great article, you area wonderful writer. I've read your articles many times and I'm always kept fascinated. Thanks so much for the writing, maybe one day I will write astronomy as well as you!

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