Just have a look at this image of Abell 611. Its a galaxy cluster that lies about 3.2 billion light-years far from us. Initially look you believe, “yeah, its a cluster of galaxies, so what?” For astronomers though, this cluster positions a challenge. They understand from determining it that theres inadequate mass in the galaxies and the cluster to keep the whole thing from flying apart. For that reason, gravity should be holding it together. But, wheres the “stuff” that has the gravitational impact? Its not simply the stuff we can see in the galaxies. It needs to also be dark matter.
The Cosmic Stuff that Confounds Understanding
The existence of galaxies and clusters that arent flying apart is a widely known challenge to astronomers, and not just in Abell 611. Some galaxies in that cluster appear to be moving too fast and that must have blown the cluster apart. Zwicky puzzled over it and chose that some unknown thing he called “dunkle Materie” (dark matter) may describe the abnormality.
Dark matter. Its secret. Its dark due to the fact that it doesnt provide off any light. We cant see it, taste it, touch it, smell it, or perhaps feel it. Astronomers can measure this dark trick of the universe. How? By taking a look at galaxies and galaxy clusters. Dark matter applies a gravitational impact on those areas, and that CAN be determined.
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A computer simulation of the circulation of matter in deep space. Orange areas host galaxies; blue structures are gas and dark matter. Credit: TNG Collaboration
We understand its there in the majority of (but not all) galaxies. What IS dark matter? Far, no trustworthy detections exist, other than to keep in mind that whatever this stuff is, its keeping galaxies and clusters from disintegrating.
Dark Matter and Clusters
Astronomers understand that galaxies and clusters are dominated by their dark matter elements. In Abell 611, the clusters look offers evidence for astronomers to measure the quantity of dark matter there. Something else has to be doing it– and that would be dark matter in the cluster.
Not simply due to the fact that galaxy clusters arent flying apart. It appears that the universe is not simply stars and galaxies and nebulae and planets. About 85 percent of the mass in the Universe is dark matter.
Orange regions host galaxies; blue structures are gas and dark matter. Astronomers know that clusters and galaxies are controlled by their dark matter elements. Gravitational lensing properties (from its mass and from the mass of dark matter) are helping astronomers determine 88 remote galaxies in this field of view for additional study. It has thousands of galaxies surrounded by a dark matter halo. Each galaxy also has a component of dark matter.
The galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 as seen by NIRCam on JWST. Gravitational lensing homes (from its mass and from the mass of dark matter) are assisting astronomers recognize 88 distant galaxies in this field of vision for further research study. Courtesy NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
Clusters across the Universe show this result of dark matter haloes surrounding them. One of JWSTs first images reveals the gravitational lensing triggered by the halo around the cluster SMACS J0723.3-7327. It has thousands of galaxies surrounded by a dark matter halo. Each galaxy also has a part of dark matter. The outcome is the fantastic display screen of lensed galaxies seen in the image. They all lie at severe distances behind the SMACS cluster, and their light is smeared into arcs by the gravitational dominance of the dark matter. The fact that this same scene plays out across lots of clusters throughout the Universe tells us that dark matter is real, even if astronomers havent yet figured out what it is.
To find out more
A Cosmic CobwebDark Energy, Dark MatterSeparating Galaxies from the Cluster Dark Matter Halo in Abell 611
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