Finding Dark Matter
Explanation:
Where is
dark matter?
Galaxies rotate and move in
clusters as if a tremendous amount of
unseen matter is present.
But does dark matter exist in the greater universe too --
and if so, where?
The answer can be found by comparing the
distribution of galaxies
observed with
numerical simulations.
This comparison became much more accurate recently
when over 100,000 galaxy observations from the
2-Degree Field Galactic Redshift Survey were used.
In the
above frame from a
computer simulation of our
universe,
a 300 million light-year slice shows
dark matter in gray and galaxies as colored circles.
The red box indicates the location of a rich
cluster of galaxies, while the green box shows a
more typical cross-section of
our universe.
Analyses indicate that the immense gravity of the pervasive
dark matter pulls normal matter to it, so that
light matter and dark matter actually
cluster together.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
