News > Geek > Scientists Confirm Existence of Dark Matter

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TUESDAY AUGUST 22 2006 12:30 PM

Scientists Confirm Existence of Dark Matter

Submitted by WilWheaton

Edited by WilWheaton

Tags: NASA, science, space, physics

For years, scientists have theorized that Dark Matter and Dark Energy play a fundamental role in the construction of our universe, but they've had a really hard time actually proving they exist.

That all changed when scientists studying the result of an ancient galactic collision discovered evidence which appears to confirm the existence of Dark Matter.

While the scientists are not sure exactly what dark matter is, since they have yet to identify it in a laboratory, they said the workings of the universe cannot be explained without it.

The finding will have potentially great impact on an active debate among physicists and cosmologists about not only dark matter, but the workings of gravity. Indeed, the theory of dark matter evolved largely to explain the finding several decades ago that there was not enough visible matter in the universe to produce and account for the gravity needed to keep galaxies from flying apart.

``A universe that's dominated by dark stuff seems preposterous, so we wanted to test whether there were any basic flaws in our thinking," said Doug Clowe of the University of Arizona in Tucson, leader of the NASA-Harvard University study. ``These results are direct proof that dark matter exists."

The discovery was made using the orbiting Chandra X-Ray Observatory.

Scientists said a collision between the enormous ``bullet" cluster of galaxies more than 3 billion light years away and another smaller galaxy cluster proved the existence of dark matter by, in effect, stripping the dark matter away from visible matter.

Once stripped, dark matter was clearly identified by the strong gravitational pull that it exerted.

``We now have direct evidence" of dark matter, said Sean Carroll, a cosmologist in the Physics Department of the University of Chicago, who did not participate in the study. ``There is no way to explain the observations without dark matter."

Not everyone is convinced, however, including Stacy McGaugh, an astrophysicist at the University of Maryland, who is an outspoken Dark Matter skeptic.

``I've been aware of this result some time, and I agree that it is interesting, and may make more sense in terms of dark matter than alternative gravity," he said. ``However, it is premature to say so."

He said a definitive detection of dark matter particles would mean ``grabbing them in the laboratory, not just inferring that their effects can be the only possible explanation for an observation before the alternatives have actually been checked."

Mr. McGaugh then declared "Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny don't exist, either, and that chick in The Crying Game is actually a dude."

NASA scientists said that their next step is to confirm Dark Matter's existence in a lab, and Mr. McGaugh can shut up his big stupid face.

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Comments

WilWheaton

Los Angeles, CA

June 2005

AUG 22, 2006 12:47 PM

There's a good discussion (at +5, natch) over at Slashdot about this subject, if you're interested.

Cyprian

Boulder, CO

November 2005

AUG 22, 2006 01:01 PM

Dark matter's future's so bright it's gotta wear shades.

DhD_No_Pants

Katy, TX

May 2006

AUG 22, 2006 01:04 PM

I pulled some dark matter out of the shower drain. It had hair all over. *bleh*

Seriously, though, good article, I like hearing about this kind of stuff. Even if I don't understand it, I can at least say I tried to not be ignorant.

mokole

Canada

June 2004

AUG 22, 2006 01:05 PM

i've actually had a long talk with a astro-physicist about dark matter before, it's incredibly intresting. though, for now they are grouping, it could be many things we can't detect, that as a whole we call dark matter, and not just one specific thing

HollowButcher

Vineland, NJ

May 2006

AUG 22, 2006 01:09 PM

If in fact this dark matter and dark energy act like gravity, couldn't it possibly be harnessed for space travel? I know what you're all gonna say, "There's no gravity in space you retard." Granted, but that doesn't rule out the possiblity that the dark energy from the dark matter could be used in a type of engine or other propulsion device. I dunno about the rest of you, but I'd like to leave and travel around space. Regardless of that, if there is a way of understand the energy then we could probably use it to make hover cars and so on. The con to this theory would be if dark matter is an exhaustable resource, if so, it'll probably end up being 3-6 bucks a gallon. ^_^

steve626

Tarentum, PA

February 2005

AUG 22, 2006 01:19 PM

"There's no gravity in space you retard."

There is, and that statement made you sound like one. The effect of gravity deminishes with the square of the distance between 2 objects, Newton. There is gravity throughout the universe, its just that some is felt more than others. The Earth's gravity is stronger at the surface than the Sun's gravity, but go far enough from the surface (or center actually) of the Earth and the Sun's gravity over takes it. Go far enough from the Sun and other gravity becomes a stronger force to you. The reason "there's no gravity in space" (I'm assuming you are talking about zero-G in orbit?) is that everything is falling towards the Earth at the same rate, but its fast enough and far enough away to always miss it. But closer to Earth, we have the ground and other objects in our way.
There are areas between objects that have neutral gravity, the Lagrange points where 2 or more bodies' gravities cancel one another out.

Yuriel

I'm lost

January 2004

AUG 22, 2006 01:26 PM

-Has Edge steal the dark matter from the rogue Lunarian Zeromus
HAH.

<3

Thanks for the fyi.

I hope this progresses and quickly. Been waiting for them to figure out how the entire universe as we know it could be mostly comprised of just 'space' anyway.

mydogfarted

Oakland, NJ

June 2003

AUG 22, 2006 01:27 PM

In other news, scientists still can't confirm the existence of G.W. Bush's brain.

MisterGone

Minneapolis, MN

March 2006

AUG 22, 2006 01:29 PM

Its filled with Roving Matter.
A much darker more evil matter, with such a huge event horizon that no sanity or logic can escape it.

DhD_No_Pants

Katy, TX

May 2006

AUG 22, 2006 01:29 PM

steve626 said:

"There's no gravity in space you retard."

That was a nice explanation, but there wasn't really any call to be mean to the poor kid.

gavroche

France

December 2005

AUG 22, 2006 01:32 PM

We already knew it since "his dark materials" by Philip Pullman