NASA has revealed one of the most detailed maps of dark matter yet.
Taken by the James Webb Space Telescope, the map suggests the elusive substance acts as a hidden framework on which entire galaxies are built.
According to researchers from Durham University, it could help to unravel the mystery of the formation of our Milky Way – as well as planet Earth.
‘Wherever you find normal matter in the Universe today, you also find dark matter,’ explained Professor Richard Massey, co–author of the study.
‘Billions of dark matter particles pass through your body every second.
‘There’s no harm, they don’t notice us and just keep going.
‘But the whole swirling cloud of dark matter around the Milky Way has enough gravity to hold our entire galaxy together.
‘Without dark matter, the Milky Way would spin itself apart.’
NASA has revealed one of the most detailed maps of dark matter yet. Taken by the James WebbSpace Telescope, the map suggests the elusive substance acts as a hidden framework on which entire galaxies are built
Dark matter is described as the ‘glue’ that holds the universe together.
However, because it’s invisble, understanding exactly what it is or what is does has proved difficult.
Scientists have previously suggested that when the universe began, dark matter and normal matter were sparsely distributed.
Dark matter clumped together first, before pulling in normal matter, creating regions where stars and galaxies began to form.
By prompting this formation, dark matter also played a role in creating the conditions for planets to form – eventually allowing life to appear.
To prove this is the case, the research team turned to NASA’s James Webb – the largest and most powerful telescope ever launched to space.
This allowed them to map dark matter with ‘unprecedented precision’.
Because dark matter is invisible, the team looked for it by observing how its mass curves space itself, which in turn bends the light travelling to Earth from distant galaxies.
Because dark matter is invisible, the team looked for it by observing how its mass curves space itself, which in turn bends the light travelling to Earth from distant galaxies
The research team turned to NASA’s James Webb – the largest and most powerful telescope ever launched to space
The map shows that dark matter interacts with the rest of the universe through gravity – seen by the degree of overlap between maps of dark and normal matter.
‘By revealing dark matter with unprecedented precision, our map shows how an invisible component of the Universe has structured visible matter to the point of enabling the emergence of galaxies, stars, and ultimately life itself,’ explained Dr Gavin Leroy, co–author of the study.
‘This map reveals the invisible but essential role of dark matter, the true architect of the Universe, which gradually organises the structures we observe through our telescopes.’
In total, the area covered by the map is a section of sky about 2.5 times larger than the full moon, in the constellation Sextans.
It includes nearly 800,000 galaxies – about 10 times more than Webb’s predecessor, Hubble, was able to observe.
Dr Diana Scognamiglio, co–author of the study from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said: ‘This is the largest dark matter map we’ve made with Webb, and it’s twice as sharp as any dark matter map made by other observatories.
‘Previously, we were looking at a blurry picture of dark matter.
‘Now we’re seeing the invisible scaffolding of the Universe in stunning detail, thanks to Webb’s incredible resolution.’
The team now plans to map dark matter through the entire universe, using the European Space Agency’s Euclid telescope alongside NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
Dark matter: The mysterious substance that makes up 85% of the universe that scientists cannot confirm
Dark matter is a hypothetical substance said to make up roughly 85 per cent of the universe.
The enigmatic material is invisible because it does not reflect light, and has never been directly observed by scientists.
Astronomers know it to be out there because of its gravitational effects on known matter.
The European Space Agency says: ‘Shine a torch in a completely dark room, and you will see only what the torch illuminates.
Dark matter is a hypothetical substance said to make up roughly 27 per cent of the universe. It is thought to be the gravitational ‘glue’ that holds the galaxies together (artist’s impression)
‘That does not mean that the room around you does not exist.
‘Similarly we know dark matter exists but have never observed it directly.’
The material is thought to be the gravitational ‘glue’ that holds the galaxies together.
Calculations show that many galaxies would be torn apart instead of rotating if they weren’t held together by a large amount of dark matter.
Just five per cent the observable universe consists of known matter such as atoms and subatomic particles.
