Why gravity always gets the last word
John C. Taylor · Physics World · 2004
The cosmos as revealed by modern telescopes is truly marvellous – whether one looks at optical, radio, infrared, ultraviolet, X-ray or gamma-ray frequencies, or from ground- or space-based devices. Anyone who wants to be convinced of this fact should look at the stunning images on the website that accompanies Bernard Schutz's new book. But while many physical effects shape the universe – including nuclear forces, magnetism, pressure, temperature, photons, neutrinos and Pauli's exclusion principle – the force that generally has the last word in astronomy is gravity.