Dark Matter is Serious Business
We've heard for quite a while now that there is a lot more dark matter out there than visible matter. One estimate is that dark matter constitutes five sixths of the total matter content of the universe.
A recent Hubble mapping of dark matter is confirming the observation that the distribution of galaxies (visible matter) follows the distribution of dark matter.
What really got my attention is a comment by Professor Carlos Frenk, from the University of Durham, UK: "In the next decade, I think most studies of the Universe's large-scale structure will be dark matter structure studies. In this sense, I think galaxies will be relegated to a secondary role."
Wow!
His theory is a leading model to explain how structures in the Universe evolved over cosmic time: Soon after the Big Bang, cold dark matter formed the first large structures in the Universe, which then collapsed under their own weight to form vast halos. The gravitational pull of these halos sucked in ordinary matter, providing a focus for the formation of galaxies.
Hubble's map: Dark matter may be invisible but it accounts for most of the Universe's mass. Its gravitational attraction acts as a template, pulling normal matter - the stars in their galaxy groupings – into the large-scale structures we can see through telescopes.
A recent Hubble mapping of dark matter is confirming the observation that the distribution of galaxies (visible matter) follows the distribution of dark matter.
What really got my attention is a comment by Professor Carlos Frenk, from the University of Durham, UK: "In the next decade, I think most studies of the Universe's large-scale structure will be dark matter structure studies. In this sense, I think galaxies will be relegated to a secondary role."
Wow!
His theory is a leading model to explain how structures in the Universe evolved over cosmic time: Soon after the Big Bang, cold dark matter formed the first large structures in the Universe, which then collapsed under their own weight to form vast halos. The gravitational pull of these halos sucked in ordinary matter, providing a focus for the formation of galaxies.
Hubble's map: Dark matter may be invisible but it accounts for most of the Universe's mass. Its gravitational attraction acts as a template, pulling normal matter - the stars in their galaxy groupings – into the large-scale structures we can see through telescopes.
posted by Badri Srirangam at 5:04 PM
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