Eddie Gonzales Jr. – MessageToEagle.com – The Subaru Telescope has achieved a significant breakthrough by pinpointing the terminal ends of dark matter filaments within the Coma cluster, which stretch over millions of light years.
Dark matter in the Coma Cluster region. The distribution of dark matter calculated based on this research (dark green cloud) is overlayed on an image of the Coma Cluster and more distant background galaxies taken by the Subaru Telescope. Strands of dark matter can be seen extending millions of light years. Credit: HyeongHan et al.
This constitutes an unparalleled direct detection of strands from the cosmic web that pervades the universe, offering new empirical data to examine theories pertaining to universal evolution.
In our solar system, it is typical to observe matter coalesced into spherical bodies such as planets, moons and the sun. Nevertheless, it is postulated that dark matter – which accounts for a majority of mass in the universe – exists in a network-like formation.
A group of scholars from Yonsei University employed the Subaru Telescope in their quest to uncover direct evidence of dark matter filaments within the Coma cluster, which is one of the largest and closest galaxy clusters, making it a good place to look for faint signs of dark matter.
This celestial body is situated approximately 321 million light-years away, in alignment with the constellation known as Coma Berenices.
Interestingly, due to its proximity, the cluster appears large, which poses a challenge to observing it in its entirety. However, the Subaru Telescope provides an optimal blend of high sensitivity, superior resolution and a broad field of view that enables these observations. The team was able to identify the terminal segments of the unseen dark matter filaments connected to the Coma cluster through rigorous data analysis.
This marks an unprecedented confirmation of these strands directly, providing fresh evidence supporting the concept that webs of dark matter extend across the universe.
Written by Eddie Gonzales Jr. – MessageToEagle.com Staff Writer