New dark matter findings could alter the current models of the universe
New research shows that the current models on dark matter that are based on theories of the universe may not be accurate. The research found a higher concentration of dark matter when the universe was observed on a smaller case than the current models show.
The universe is made of only 5 percent of the observable universe that includes the stars and the planets. The rest of the universe is made of dark matter and dark energy, which data from NASA shows they make up 27 percent and 68 percent respectively.
Study of the dark matter
However, little is known about dark matter and dark energy, and in the past few decades, researchers are still trying to piece together the universe.
New research into the dark matter is now challenging the current computer models of the universe. The research, which was done by Yale astrophysicist Priyamvada Natarajan and a team of international researchers analyzed images of Hubble Space Telescope images of massive galaxy clusters and discovered that smaller dollops of dark matter that are found in the cluster galaxies had a higher concentration than the current scientific models of the universe shows.
The findings showed that the dark matter behaved very differently from what our current simulations of the universe indicate. The discovery by Natarajan shows that our current understanding of the universe will need revision.
The senior author of the study Natarajan interpreted the research by indicating that there was a certain aspect of the real universe that the current models were failing to capture. He continued by saying that this discovery could signal a gap between the current understanding of the universe and its actual nature.
The high-quality images of galaxy clusters from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Very Large Telescope in Chile have allowed these researchers to test if the current computer simulations based on theories match with similar masses, located at roughly the same distances. The research showed that this was not case, as the simulations did not match the reality-based data when observed on a small scale.
Kelvin Maina is a computer science graduate who has previously worked for top tech companies in Kenya. He has over five years of experience in Software Engineering and hardware solutions. He enjoys reading fictional writing, football and swimming.
