Evidence of Dark Matter Revealed
In a study to be published in Astrophysical Journal Letters, NASA-backed scientists today revealed the first direct proof of the so-called “dark matter” in the universe. Dark matter is a consequence of the observations of the universe and its rate of expansion. “Normal” matter, that makes us the visible universe only accounts for a small portion of the mass of the universe based on observation of the distribution normal matter and the rate of expansion of the universe.
At the root of the hypothesis, the universe would fly apart without an additional source of gravity to hold together galaxies and galactic clusters.
An alternative theory is that gravity has different strengths depending on the scale of the effect. That is, perhaps gravity is stronger on an intergalactic scale.
Both theories are considered by scientists to be so crazy as to unbelieveable without definitive proof.
However, today’s announcement is a setback for the “variable gravity” theory, as the data, if reproducible, offer fairly definitive proof of the existence of dark matter.
Scientists at the University of Arizona and elsewhere analyzed data coming from the titanic collision of two galaxies — the largest and most cataclysmic event in the universe after the Big Bang. The matter — both normal and dark — which was emitted from this collision separated, owing to drag on the normal matter. However, the dark matter, which does not interact with normal matter according to theory was not slowed. Pictures of the gravitational lensing of the light from the collision provide the most convincing evidence of the dark matter.
For this most remarkable but extremely difficult story, there has been considerable worldwide attention.
U.S. (space.com)
Australia (The Australian)
Ireland (Irish Examiner)
Nature magazine
Washington Post via The Boston Globe