A massive computer simulation of the way galaxies form has revealed where exactly in the galaxy we should look to finally ’see’ dark matter.

And it may be only a few years before astronomers first directly detect the mysterious substance, according to the research published in the British journal Nature today.

Dark matter makes up 85 per cent of matter in the universe. It pervades the Milky Way and forms massive haloes around our own galaxy and the smaller satellite galaxies surrounding it. So far its presence has only been indirectly inferred from its gravitational effects.

3.5 million computing hours

However, if particle collisions within dark matter give off gamma rays, under the right conditions the gamma rays should be detectable by NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, launched in June 2008.

The researchers from the international Virgo Consortium’s Aquarius Project used a computer simulation that took over 3.5 million computing hours create a virtual universe in order to find the best place to look for these gamma-ray signals.

 

Source: Cosmos Online – click here for full article

 

 

 

An international team of researchers has discovered a puzzling surplus of high-energy electrons bombarding Earth from space. The source of these cosmic rays is unknown, but it must be close to the solar system and it could be made of dark matter. Their results are being reported in the Nov. 20th issue of the journal Nature.

“This is a big discovery,” says co-author John Wefel of Louisiana State University. “It’s the first time we’ve seen a discrete source of accelerated cosmic rays standing out from the general galactic background.”

Galactic cosmic rays are subatomic particles accelerated to almost light speed by distant supernova explosions and other violent events. They swarm through the Milky Way, forming a haze of high energy particles that enter the solar system from all directions. Cosmic rays consist mostly of protons and heavier atomic nuclei with a dash of electrons and photons spicing the mix…

Source: Nasa Science – click here or title for full article