Mysterious X-ray Signal Intrigues Astronomers

A mysterious X-ray signal has been found in a detailed study of galaxy clusters using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and ESA’s XMM-Newton. One intriguing possibility is that the X-rays are produced by the decay of sterile neutrinos, a type of particle that has been proposed as a candidate for dark matter.

“We know that the dark matter explanation is a long shot, but the pay-off would be huge if we're right,” said Esra Bulbul of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) in Cambridge, Mass. who led the study. “So we're going to keep testing this interpretation and see where it takes us.”

There are ways that normal matter in the cluster could have produced the line, although the team’s analysis suggested that all of these would involve unlikely changes to our understanding of physical conditions in the galaxy cluster or the details of the atomic physics of extremely hot gases.

www.nasa.gov...


Never ceases to amaze me that as we learn more about the universe we also learn more about how little we know. I've always contended that the universe is a place far too complex for us to grasp in this plane of existence. Still exciting to observe some new pieces of the puzzle of course.

Cheers!


P.S. Sorry, no aliens this time =(

Once we discover how they overlay the signal on the X-ray band we will no doubt be listening to Alien Rock and Roll.

I am certain that such an event has not yet occurred to the scientists or, if it has, they are snickering in the background to safeguard their funding.

It's Aliens I tell ya!

Nice report, S&F



P

originally posted by: pheonix358
Once we discover how they overlay the signal on the X-ray band we will no doubt be listening to Alien Rock and Roll.

Considering the 'signal' is 250 million years old it would probably be considered an oldies station to today's hipster aliens, ha!


Wow, that video! Ha!

originally posted by: soulshn
Never ceases to amaze me that as we learn more about the universe we also learn more about how little we know. I've always contended that the universe is a place far too complex for us to grasp in this plane of existence.

Yes it seems like every time we answer a question we find another puzzle, but I think we've made some progress in cosmology. The dark mater explanation may be a long shot as they suggest but whatever the cause, it could take decades to figure out.

The first quasars were discovered in the Early 1960s and we didn't feel we understood those until the early 1980s so that took about 20 years to figure out. This X-ray source could take as long to understand.

When we launch an X-ray observatory like Chandra into space, we're bound to learn some things about X-rays from space we didn't know before, because the Earth's atmosphere tends to block X-rays.

The signal could be from an alien-operated, antimatter-powered X-ray laser.

There is supposed to be an 'interactive' video and podcast about the findings on the Chandra site somewhere, the only thing I found crashed on me.
The other thing is; are they saying that these X-Rays particles, if a form of anti-matter, are coming from a specific area of each galaxy meaning that the anti-matter resides in a particular part of a galaxy, or is forced to reside there?

If confirmed, it would mean more proof for dark matter. Maybe once we know what to look for, we can find dark matter more easily?

Here's a video summary from ITN: