Dark matter warps galaxy clusters more than previously expected - study

[FfFfFfFF 58,378]

  

For decades, astronomers have tried to understand how dark matter acts as the cosmos’ urban planner, shaping the structure of our universe. But the latest looks suggest that whatever dark matter is, it’s not behaving as researchers expected.

In a new study, researchers examine how 11 gigantic clusters of galaxies bend the light passing through them, as seen from Earth. The study finds that these clusters harbor more than 10 times as many dense pockets of dark matter than predicted by supercomputer models.

“When you find [such] a gap, most often it reveals that there’s an element of the model that needs to be refined,” says study co-author Priyamvada Natarajan, a theoretical astrophysicist at Yale University. “But occasionally—very rarely in the history of science—the gap actually shows you the way to a new theory.”

When an object is especially massive and dense, the gravitational lens it creates can even split light apart. From our vantage point, this anomaly looks like the object is encircled by multiple images of the same background light source. [...] When Meneghetti’s team mapped 11 galaxy clusters and counted up the smaller gravitational lenses, they found more than 10 times as many as they were expecting.

Future models must explain this two-faced behavior of dark matter at small scales. “It’s like trying to walk through several different needles at the same time,” says James Bullock, an astrophysicist at the University of California-Irvine.

Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/09/vast-swaths-of-dark-matter-in-distant-galaxy-clusters-baffle-ast/

[Lord Temptation 11,209]

Chromatica is hiding within all that dark matter 

[flyaway 15,350]

I'm getting so hooked to this topic. I find this so fascinating. Looking at the universe is like a portal where you start finding all the secrets beyond our world. The existence itself of other living creatures, other planets like this one, even the possibility of a multiverse. 

[Economy 52,914]

The coincidence. I literally just whatched a whole documentary this week on dark matter!

[vyniildisk 12,689]

5 minutes ago, Economy said:

The coincidence. I literally just whatched a whole documentary this week on dark matter!

Hi Economy, ive seen u r keeping a very low profile lately huh? how r ya

 

OP

That is so amazing, actually i kinda want to invest on a telescope, but idk if that is super nerdyyy 

[Purrrrrr 18,158]

7 minutes ago, Economy said:

The coincidence. I literally just whatched a whole documentary this week on dark matter!

same!!

[Economy 52,914]

1 hour ago, Dulo Peep said:

Hi Economy, ive seen u r keeping a very low profile lately huh? how r ya

 

OP

That is so amazing, actually i kinda want to invest on a telescope, but idk if that is super nerdyyy 

I spent a lot of time discussing politics but it frankly gets on my nerves especially on a site like GGD so, I low-key stay more away from it