http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/dark_matter/ Dark Matter and Dark Energy. Read what astronomers are discovering about a gaping hole in the universe, how dark matter clumps contribute to galaxy formation and more. Space images. en-us Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:05:02 EST Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:05:02 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/dark_matter/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100126104844.htm Cars run out of petrol, stars run out of fuel and galaxies collapse into black holes. As they do, the universe and everything in it is gradually running down. But how run down is it? Researchers from Australia have found that the universe is 30 times more run down than previously thought. Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100126104844.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100119172846.htm A cosmologist has extended the relationship between the x-ray luminosity and the mass of galaxy clusters as measured by gravitational lensing, improving the reliability of mass measurements of much older, more distant, and smaller galactic structures. These refined measurements will benefit both the understanding of dark matter and the nature of dark energy as well. Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100119172846.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100113131454.htm The cold dark matter theory has been used for more than 20 years to explain how the smooth universe from the big bang evolved into the galaxy-rich cosmos we see today. But there was a problem: the theory suggested most galaxies should have far more stars and dark matter at their cores than they actually do. New research solves the problem. Thu, 14 Jan 2010 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100113131454.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100112152400.htm For the first time, two astronomers have explained the diversity of galaxy shapes seen in the universe. The scientists tracked the evolution of galaxies over thirteen billion years from the early Universe to the present day. Wed, 13 Jan 2010 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100112152400.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100105170938.htm Astrophysicists using supercomputers to simulate the Big Bang have a new mathematical tool to model the early universe. Researchers have built a computer model of the "Dark Ages." The model -- successfully tested on two supercomputers -- tightly couples physical processes present during cosmic reionization. Resulting simulations when scientists model various scenarios are highly accurate, numerically stable and computationally scalable to the largest supercomputers. Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100105170938.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100104151933.htm Astronomers have discovered a distant star that exploded when its center became so hot that matter and anti-matter particle pairs were created. Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100104151933.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091210173611.htm Iapetus is often called Saturn's most bizarre moon, due to its starkly contrasting hemispheres -- one black as coal, the other white as snow. Images taken by the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft, orbiting Saturn since 2004, offer the most compelling evidence to date of why and how the moon got its yin-yang appearance, as well as clues to how other such satellites might have formed in the early universe. Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091210173611.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091208132351.htm ESA’s XMM-Newton X-ray observatory is celebrating its 10th anniversary. During its decade of operation, this remarkable space observatory has supplied new data for every aspect of astronomy. From our cosmic backyard to the further reaches of the Universe, XMM-Newton has changed the way we think of space. Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091208132351.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117094927.htm Using ESO's Very Large Telescope and its ability to obtain images as sharp as if taken from space, astronomers have made the first time-lapse movie of a rather unusual shell ejected by a "vampire star." This enabled astronomers to determine the distance and intrinsic brightness of the outbursting object. It appears that this double star system is a prime candidate to be one of the long-sought progenitors of the exploding stars known as Type Ia supernovae, critical for studies of dark energy. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117094927.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102121644.htm A detailed picture of the seeds of structures in the universe has been unveiled. These measurements put limits on proposed alternatives to the standard model of cosmology and provide further support for the standard cosmological model, confirming that dark matter and dark energy make up 95 percent of everything in existence. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102121644.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026152942.htm A new "Roadrunner Universe" model requires a petascale computer because, like the universe, it's mind-bendingly large. The model's basic unit is a particle with a mass of approximately one billion suns (in order to sample galaxies with masses of about a trillion suns), and it includes 64 billion and more of those particles. The model is one of the largest simulations of the distribution of matter in the universe, and aims to look at galaxy-scale mass concentrations above and beyond quantities seen in state-of-the-art sky surveys. Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026152942.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022154644.htm Astronomers have found an unexpected link between mysterious 'dark matter' and the visible stars and gas in galaxies that could revolutionize our current understanding of gravity. The finding suggests that an unknown force is acting on dark matter. Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022154644.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090925092650.htm A team of researchers from Spain has developed a "scintillating bolometer" -- a device that the scientists will use in efforts to detect the dark matter of the universe. Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090925092650.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090902112111.htm Astronomers have taken a striking new image of a nearby galaxy that many astronomers think closely resembles our own Milky Way. Though the galaxy is seen edge-on, observations of NGC 4945 suggest that this hive of stars is a spiral galaxy much like our own, with swirling, luminous arms and a bar-shaped central region. These resemblances aside, NGC 4945 has a brighter center that likely harbors a supermassive black hole, which is devouring reams of matter and blasting energy out into space. Sun, 06 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090902112111.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090904165246.htm An international team of astronomers has uncovered evidence of a nearby cosmic encounter. Their study indicates that the Andromeda and Triangulum galaxies, the two galaxies closest to our own, collided about two to three billion years ago. Sat, 05 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090904165246.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090831130804.htm As scientists attempt to learn more about how galaxies evolve, an open question has been whether collisions with our dwarf galactic neighbors will one day tear apart the disk of the Milky Way. That grisly fate is unlikely, a new study now suggests. Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090831130804.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090826073442.htm A new image of the Trifid Nebula, shows just why it is a firm favorite of astronomers, amateur and professional alike. This massive star factory is so named for the dark dust bands that trisect its glowing heart, and is a rare combination of three nebula types, revealing the fury of freshly formed stars and presaging more star birth. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090826073442.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090811143954.htm Astronomers recently observed a mysterious flux of particles in the universe, and the hope was born that this may be the first observation of the remnants of dark matter. But scientists in Sweden have shown that there is another explanation of the flux. Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090811143954.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090816170917.htm A special three-day symposium focusing on the neutrino, a strange subatomic particle that could help answer some of the universe's most compelling questions, is scheduled for Aug. 16-18 at the 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Washington, D.C. Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090816170917.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090804094442.htm NASA's Opportunity rover has eyed an odd-shaped, dark rock, about 0.6 meters (2 feet) across on the surface of Mars, which may be a meteorite. Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090804094442.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090801122552.htm A team of researchers working with data from ESA's Integral gamma-ray observatory has disproved theories that some form of dark matter explains mysterious radiation in the Milky Way. Sun, 02 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090801122552.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090729140927.htm Astronomers offer an explanation for the origin of dwarf spheroidal galaxies. The research may settle an outstanding puzzle in understanding galaxy formation. Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090729140927.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728111407.htm NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is making some exciting discoveries about cosmic rays and the Large Area Telescope aboard Fermi is the tool in this investigation. Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728111407.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090723113519.htm Ten years ago, on July 23, 1999, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory was launched aboard the space shuttle Columbia and deployed into orbit. Chandra has doubled its original five-year mission, ushering in an unprecedented decade of discovery for the high-energy universe. Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090723113519.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090709170805.htm The earliest stars in the universe formed not only as individuals, but sometimes also as twins, according to a new article in Science. By creating simulations of the early universe, astrophysicists have gained the most detailed understanding to date of the formation of the first stars. Fri, 10 Jul 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090709170805.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090708201840.htm Astrophysicists have solved a mystery that led some scientists to speculate that the distribution of certain gamma rays in our Milky Way galaxy was evidence of a form of undetectable "dark matter" believed to make up much of the mass of the universe. Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090708201840.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630202127.htm Millions of would-be galaxies failed to develop after being exposed to intense heat from the first stars and black holes formed in the early Universe, according to new research. Our Milky Way galaxy only survived because it was already immersed in a large clump of dark matter which trapped gases inside it, scientists have found. Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630202127.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608131150.htm Gamma-ray bursts are the universe's biggest explosions, capable of producing so much light that ground-based telescopes easily detect it billions of light-years away. Yet, for more than a decade, astronomers have puzzled over the nature of so-called dark bursts, which produce gamma rays and X-rays but little or no visible light. They make up roughly half of the bursts detected by NASA's Swift satellite since its 2004 launch. Sun, 21 Jun 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608131150.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090609073156.htm Dark matter is an enigmatic energy that makes up most of the mass in the Universe, whose nature has not yet been identified. Researchers have succeeded in estimating the percentage of dark matter in the Universe and describing the processes related to the very existence of this matter. But, until now, no one has established the distribution and behavior of the dark matter in a galaxy. Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090609073156.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608131140.htm Radio astronomers have used a direct, geometric technique to precisely measure the distance to a faraway galaxy, demonstrating a vital tool for determining the nature of the mysterious dark energy that pervades the universe. Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608131140.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090508190416.htm Imagine a time when the entire universe froze. According to a new model for dark energy, that is essentially what happened about 11.5 billion years ago, when the universe was a quarter of the size it is today. Mon, 11 May 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090508190416.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090507175838.htm With the new movie 'Star Trek' opening in theaters across the nation, one thing movie goers will undoubtedly see is the Starship Enterprise racing across the galaxy at the speed of light. But can traveling at warp speed ever become a reality? Fri, 08 May 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090507175838.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090507181958.htm Whatever dark energy is, explanations for it have less wiggle room following a Hubble Space Telescope observation that has refined the measurement of the universe's present expansion rate to a precision where the error is smaller than five percent. Fri, 08 May 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090507181958.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090505061949.htm Do we have to modify Newton's theory of gravitation as it fails to explain so many observations? Voices are increasingly being heard that support this heretical hypothesis. Two new studies are likely to provide yet more grist for the mill. Their latest results about so-called "satellite galaxies" at the periphery of the Milky Way could rock the theoretical foundations of standard physics. Tue, 05 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090505061949.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090422191749.htm A process called 'dark gulping' may solve the mystery of the how supermassive black holes were able to form when the Universe was less than a billion years old. Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090422191749.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090422085830.htm The high speed of stars and apparent presence of 'dark matter' in the satellite galaxies that orbit our Milky Way Galaxy presents a direct challenge to Newton's theory of gravitation, according to physicists from Germany, Austria and Australia. Thu, 23 Apr 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090422085830.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090414160801.htm Scientists have discovered a universal principle that unites the curious interplay of light and shadow on the surface of your morning coffee with the way gravity magnifies and distorts light from distant galaxies. Tue, 21 Apr 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090414160801.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090416111925.htm The most crowded collision of galaxy clusters has been identified by combining information from three different telescopes. This result gives scientists a chance to learn what happens when some of the largest objects in the Universe go at each other in a cosmic free-for-all. Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090416111925.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090312093947.htm NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered a strong new line of evidence that galaxies are embedded in halos of dark matter. Fri, 13 Mar 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090312093947.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090226093421.htm The vast expanses of intergalactic space appear to be filled with a haze of tiny, smoke-like "dust" particles that dim the light from distant objects and subtly change their colors, according to a team of astronomers. Knowledge of this dust will help astronomers understand galaxies, but could complicate future measurements of supernovae. Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090226093421.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090220172053.htm Scientists are harnessing the cosmos as a scientific "instrument" in their quest to determine the makeup of the universe. Long ago Einstein recognized the potential existence of gravitational lensing, a consequence of his theory of general relativity. According to general relativity, celestial objects create dimples in space-time that bend the light traveling from behind. Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090220172053.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090217092750.htm Physicists are harnessing the power of supercomputing to recreate how galaxies are born, how they develop over time and, ultimately, how they collapse. Scientists are creating computer simulations to better understand the physics of black holes and the role they play in galaxy formation. Sun, 22 Feb 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090217092750.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090218132145.htm There is more than one way to make a dwarf galaxy, and NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer has found a new recipe. The spacecraft has, for the first time, identified dwarf galaxies forming out of nothing more than pristine gas likely leftover from the early universe. Dwarf galaxies are relatively small collections of stars that often orbit around larger galaxies like our Milky Way. Thu, 19 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090218132145.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090216092722.htm During the next decade, a delicate measurement of primordial light could reveal convincing evidence for the popular cosmic inflation theory, which proposes that a random, microscopic density fluctuation in the fabric of space and time gave birth to the universe in a hot big bang approximately 13.7 billion years ago. Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090216092722.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212093900.htm In the early Universe, a newly-discovered type of galaxy, Ultra-Compact Dwarfs (UCDs) had stars packed together a million times more closely than anything we see today. Astronomers suggests that the remnants of these stars still make up most of the mass of UCDs in the present day. Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212093900.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090211082359.htm Scientists have used a computer simulation to predict what the very early universe would have appeared like 500 million years after the "Big Bang." Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090211082359.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090129090216.htm Variations in the brightness of the Q0957+561 quasar, also known as the "twin quasar" due to its duplicated image on Earth, are intrinsic to the entity itself and not caused by the gravitational effects of possible planets or stars from a far away galaxy. This is the conclusion of a new study resolving a mystery that has intrigued astronomers for the past 30 years. Tue, 03 Feb 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090129090216.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090121144051.htm A new theory as to how galaxies were formed in the Universe billions of years ago has been formulated by cosmologists. The theory takes issue with the prevailing view on how the galaxies came to exist. Thu, 22 Jan 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090121144051.htm