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Not since the work of Fritz Zwicky has the astronomy world been so excited about the missing mass of the Universe. His evidence came from the orbital velocities of galaxies in clusters, rotational speeds, and gravitational lensing of background objects. Now there’s even more evidence that Zwicky was right as Australian student – Amelia Fraser-McKelvie – made another breakthrough in the world of astrophysics
Working with a team at the Monash School of Physics, the 22-year-old undergraduate Aerospace Engineering/Science student conducted a targeted X-ray search for the hidden matter and within just three months made a very exciting discovery. Astrophysicists predicted the mass would be low in density, but high in temperature – approximately one million degrees Celsius. According to theory, the matter should have been observable at X-ray wavelengths and Amelia Fraser-McKelvie’s discovery has proved the prediction to be correct.
Dr Kevin Pimbblet from the School of Astrophysics explains: “It was thought from a theoretical viewpoint that there should be about double the amount of matter in the local Universe compared to what was observed. It was predicted that the majority of this missing mass should be located in large-scale cosmic structures called filaments – a bit like thick shoelaces.”
these in scale are the filaments and voids. The largest of these filaments is known as the Sloan Great Wall. This giant string of galaxies is 1.4 billion light years across making it the largest known structure in the universe. Yet surprisingly, the Great Wall has never been studied in detail. Superclusters within it have been examined, but the wall as a whole has only come into consideration in a new paper from a team led by astronomers at Tartu Observatory in Estonia.
In 2004 astronomers found an enormous hole in the southern hemisphere of the Universe, nearly a billion light-years across, empty of both normal matter such as stars, galaxies, and gas, and the mysterious, unseen "dark matter." This was a startling finding, since accepted models of the early universe say that the big bang created an initially uniform cosmic landscape, when viewed on large scales. While earlier studies have shown holes, or voids, in the large-scale structure of the Universe, this discovery dwarfed them all. This "nothing" is an enormous hole in the cosmos that defies standard cosmology and might just be the imprint of another universe bumping against our own while some astronomers suggested the spot could be a supervoid, a remnant of an early phase transition in the universe.
Up until this point in time, theories were based solely on numerical models, so Fraser-McKelvie’s observations represent a true break-through in determining just how much of this mass is caught in filamentary structure. “Most of the baryons in the Universe are thought to be contained within filaments of galaxies, but as yet, no single study has published the observed properties of a large sample of known filaments to determine typical physical characteristics such as temperature and electron density
A team of the British, American, and Hungarian astronomers have reported even larger structures. As per their findings, the universe is crossed by at least 13 'Great Walls', apparent rivers of galaxies 100Mpc long in the surveyed domain of 7 billion light years. They found galaxies clustered into bands spaced about 600 millon light years apart. The pattern of these clusters stretches across about one-fourth of the diameter of the universe, or about seven billion light years. This huge shell and void pattern would have required nearly 150 billion years to form, based on their speed of movement, if produced by the standard Big Bang cosmology.
A team of the British, American, and Hungarian astronomers have reported even larger structures. As per their findings, the universe is crossed by at least 13 'Great Walls', apparent rivers of galaxies 100Mpc long in the surveyed domain of 7 billion light years. They found galaxies clustered into bands spaced about 600 millon light years apart. The pattern of these clusters stretches across about one-fourth of the diameter of the universe, or about seven billion light years. This huge shell and void pattern would have required nearly 150 billion years to form, based on their speed of movement, if produced by the standard Big Bang cosmology.
Discovery of the Great Walls of galaxies and filamentary clumping of galactic mater has greatly upset the traditional notion that galactic matter should be uniformly distributed. If the universe began with a Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago, the awesome size of these large-scale structures is baffling because there is apparently not sufficient time available for such massive objects to form and to become organized.
Based on the cosmological principle, which is one of the cornerstones of the Big Bang model, cosmologists predicted the distribution of matter to be homogeneous throughout the universe, implying thereby that the distribution of the galaxies would be essentially uniform. There would be no large scale clusters of galaxies or great voids in space. Instead, contrary to the "Big Bang" universe, we exist in a very "lumpy" cosmos."
First results from a major astronomical survey using a cutting-edge technique appear to have confirmed the existence of mysterious dark energy.
Dark energy makes up some 74% of the Universe and its existence would explain why the Universe appears to be expanding at an accelerating rate.
The finding was based on studies of more than 200,000 galaxies.
Scientists used two separate kinds of observation to provide an independent check on previous dark energy results.
The professor of astrophysics at Portsmouth University, UK, added: "It's re-confirmation of dark energy, it gives us another data point to fit our theories around and it shows us the way to the future. More astronomers are going to be doing this in years to come."
While dark energy makes up about 74% of the Universe, dark matter - which does not reflect or emit detectable light - accounts for 22%. Ordinary matter - gas, stars, planets and galaxies - makes up just 4% of the cosmos.
However, despite scientists being able to infer the existence of dark energy and dark matter, these phenomena still elude a full explanation.
approximately one million degrees Celsius.
You're confusing dark matter and dark energy. Dark matter was proposed for the missing mass, dark energy is what drives the accelerating expansion of the universe, which is completely different.
Originally posted by Ghost375
A month or two ago, I was talking to my physics professor and he mentioned how the whole 'dark energy' theory is probably wrong. This is an interesting theory that could account for the missing mass. the dark energy theory was proposed to account for the missing mass.
Originally posted by Ceriddwen
Some of those pictures seriously look like a neurological system. Synapses, neurons, dendrites, etc. Kinda threw a thought into my head that maybe the universe is just the interior of someone's brain and we are all just thoughts and electrical impulses inside it.
I guess we will have to see if this idea gains acceptance, but I'm not sure why astronomers never found this before since it sounds so simple, the article even says they expected to find it, so I find it hard to believe this aerospace student is the first to look. Something doesn't add up with this story. Also it referenced twice as much matter. We really need to find about 4 or 5 times as much matter to explain all the dark matter observations, so twice as much won't do it. Therefore even if this is correct, it doesn't solve the dark matter problem, though maybe it could solve a fraction of it if other astronomers confirm it.
Originally posted by InfaRedMan
reply to post by XPLodER
Interesting read! S&F!
If I'm not mistaken though, the age of the Sloan Wall was debunked.
IRM
I agree, but you know what's so odd about that article?
Originally posted by XPLodER
even if a small fraction of the dark matter is finally accepted this would be a great start in answering one of the great dark questions of our time,
what is dark matter and why is it dark?
Originally posted by bigfatfurrytexan
This is a great thread.
From my understanding, if what is stated here is correct it would bolster the Electric Universe model. The "filaments" represent Birkeland Strands, and are the source of all matter. Matter wasn't created in a big bang, but rather from "pinches" in the supermassive energy currents that traverse the universe.
Like the vents on the ocean floor, you will have broad expanses left without life. But once you get to the vents, with the nutrients rich water full of energy, you have various forms of life spring up.
As above, so below.
Originally posted by Arbitrageur
I agree, but you know what's so odd about that article?
Originally posted by XPLodER
even if a small fraction of the dark matter is finally accepted this would be a great start in answering one of the great dark questions of our time,
what is dark matter and why is it dark?
They never mention the term "dark matter". Not once.
I don't know if you find that odd, but I sure do.