Dark Matter

Astronomers have produced the most detailed map of dark matter to date using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, revealing how this invisible substance shaped the formation of galaxies and planets. The research, involving teams from Durham University, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Switzerland's École Polytechnique Fédéral de Lausanne, was published in Nature Astronomy. The map highlights dark matter's gravitational role in pulling ordinary matter together since the universe's early days.

02 febbraio 2026 Riportato dall'IA

Astronomers have identified what appears to be a massive cloud of dark matter roughly 3,000 light years from our solar system. Using pulsar observations, a team led by Sukanya Chakrabarti detected gravitational effects suggesting an object 60 million times the sun's mass. This could be the first such sub-halo found in the Milky Way.

A new theoretical study suggests that future fusion reactors could produce axions, elusive particles potentially linked to dark matter. Led by a University of Cincinnati physicist, the research outlines how neutrons in these reactors might trigger reactions creating such particles. The idea echoes a puzzle from the TV show The Big Bang Theory that fictional scientists could not solve.

21 dicembre 2025 Riportato dall'IA

Scientists at the University of Chicago have used weak gravitational lensing to map dark matter and dark energy across a vast sky region, confirming the standard cosmological model. By analyzing archival telescope images, the team expanded galaxy shape measurements, resolving debates about cosmic structure growth. Their findings align observations of the nearby universe with early universe data from the cosmic microwave background.