Astrophysicists estimate that dark matter makes up 85% – 90% of all the matter in the known universe, but have not been unable to detect the mystery material because its weak interactions with the electromagnetic force are intangible to say the least. They’ve only been able to infer its existence from the gravitational effects it appears to have on normal matter. However, astronomers believe dark matter exists within each observable galaxy and could be one of the triggers which aid the creation of galaxies, or in other words, it’s the glue that holds the visible matter within these galaxies together. Read more for two videos and additional information.
“We thought that every galaxy had dark matter and that dark matter is how a galaxy begins. This invisible, mysterious substance is the most dominant aspect of any galaxy. So finding a galaxy without it is unexpected. It challenges the standard ideas of how we think galaxies work, and it shows that dark matter is real: it has its own separate existence apart from other components of galaxies. This result also suggests that there may be more than one way to form a galaxy,” said Pieter van Dokkum of Yale University.
“We have studied the relationship between total acceleration and its ordinary component in 106 galaxies, obtaining different results from those that had been previously observed. This not only demonstrates the inexactness of the empirical relationship previously described but removes doubts on the existence of dark matter in the galaxies. Furthermore, the new relationship found could provide crucial information on the understanding of the nature of this indefinite component,” according to Paolo Salucci, a professor of astrophysics at SISSA (International School for Advanced Studies) in Italy.
