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Scientists have been able to directly measure the density of dark matter in local space for the first time. The study found that a volume of space the size of Earth contains less than one kilogram of this mysterious substance. This means that dark matter is rarer than gold on our planet, even though it is about five times more abundant than ordinary matter in the universe..
Astronomers used the Milky Way's oscillations, caused by the gravitational influence of satellite galaxies and rapidly rotating neutron stars called pulsars, to analyze the gravitational acceleration of the pulsars, which allowed them to estimate the distribution of dark matter in our galaxy. This is the first time that such measurements have been made directly, rather than through observations of the motion of stars or gravitational lensing.
Although dark matter hardly interacts with ordinary matter, its gravitational influence is critical to the existence of galaxies. Without it, galactic structures would simply fly apart as they rotate. It is believed that most of the dark matter is concentrated in the centers of galaxies, but it also forms a spherical shell around them.
This research helps to better understand the nature of dark matter and its role in shaping the Universe. It also opens the way to new methods for studying this invisible substance, which remains one of the greatest mysteries of modern physics.
Scientists have been able to directly measure the density of dark matter in local space for the first time. The study found that a volume of space the size of Earth contains less than one kilogram of this mysterious substance. This means that dark matter is rarer than gold on our planet, even though it is about five times more abundant than ordinary matter in the universe..
Astronomers used the Milky Way's oscillations, caused by the gravitational influence of satellite galaxies and rapidly rotating neutron stars called pulsars, to analyze the gravitational acceleration of the pulsars, which allowed them to estimate the distribution of dark matter in our galaxy. This is the first time that such measurements have been made directly, rather than through observations of the motion of stars or gravitational lensing.
Although dark matter hardly interacts with ordinary matter, its gravitational influence is critical to the existence of galaxies. Without it, galactic structures would simply fly apart as they rotate. It is believed that most of the dark matter is concentrated in the centers of galaxies, but it also forms a spherical shell around them.
This research helps to better understand the nature of dark matter and its role in shaping the Universe. It also opens the way to new methods for studying this invisible substance, which remains one of the greatest mysteries of modern physics.
