[cross posted from KySat]
In a galaxy five billion light years away astronomers have discovered the best evidence to date for dark matter, according to MSNBC.com.
Dark matter cannot be observed directly, but only inferred from the gravitational effects on visible matter. In the image at the top, astronomers mapped the distortions of background galaxies by the gravity of the galaxy cluster. The application of some "fiendish math and physics" to the observations revealed the ghost ring of dark matter, according to Bad Astronomy.
Centauri Dreams and Bad Astronomy have descriptions of the significance of the find, and explain it far better than I can.
Wayne
Wikipedia: dark matter
Comments