Scientists have finally caught their first direct glimpse of dark matter, a mysterious substance thought to make up 27% of the universe. For nearly a century, astronomers have been searching for evidence of this invisible material, which is believed to clump around galaxies and form a cosmic web.
The breakthrough comes from gamma rays detected by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, centered on our galaxy, the Milky Way. The signals bear an eerie resemblance to the dark matter halo predicted by astrophysicists. According to Prof Tomonori Totani of the University of Tokyo, the radiation pattern "closely matches the properties of gamma-ray radiation predicted to be emitted by dark matter."
The discovery could mark a turning point in the decades-long search for this elusive substance. If confirmed, it would suggest that dark matter is made up of elementary particles at least 500 times more massive than protons. However, the evidence still needs to be substantiated.
Critics argue that the findings are not conclusive and require further verification. The lack of significant signals from dwarf galaxies and other regions of space raises questions about whether Totani's observations are genuinely dark matter or a result of astrophysical processes.
"The decisive factor would be detecting gamma rays with the same spectrum from other regions of space," warns Prof Justin Read of the University of Surrey. Meanwhile, Prof Kinwah Wu of UCL cautions that while the analysis is intriguing, it falls short of extraordinary evidence for an extraordinary claim.
The breakthrough comes from gamma rays detected by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, centered on our galaxy, the Milky Way. The signals bear an eerie resemblance to the dark matter halo predicted by astrophysicists. According to Prof Tomonori Totani of the University of Tokyo, the radiation pattern "closely matches the properties of gamma-ray radiation predicted to be emitted by dark matter."
The discovery could mark a turning point in the decades-long search for this elusive substance. If confirmed, it would suggest that dark matter is made up of elementary particles at least 500 times more massive than protons. However, the evidence still needs to be substantiated.
Critics argue that the findings are not conclusive and require further verification. The lack of significant signals from dwarf galaxies and other regions of space raises questions about whether Totani's observations are genuinely dark matter or a result of astrophysical processes.
"The decisive factor would be detecting gamma rays with the same spectrum from other regions of space," warns Prof Justin Read of the University of Surrey. Meanwhile, Prof Kinwah Wu of UCL cautions that while the analysis is intriguing, it falls short of extraordinary evidence for an extraordinary claim.
i mean like what if they're right? what if we actually do have to deal with some super massive particles floating around our galaxy?? my friend's cousin is actually working on the team that detected these gamma rays so i guess he's pretty stoked about this discovery 
anyway idk how much evidence they need but it seems like it's getting close or something?
... i mean, 500 times more massive than protons? sounds like some crazy tech to me 
... and another thing, why are scientists so quick to accept this "breakthrough"? what's the real motive behind all this research? 
... and have you seen where they got this data from? NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope? that's just a fancy way of saying they're getting their info from our tax dollars 
... can't trust it.
just saw this news and I'm low-key hyped!!! finally after all these yrs of searching scientists think they've caught a glimpse of dark matter 
i mean 27% of the universe being mysterious is wild enough but if it's true it means we're still learning so much about our own galaxy 
what if it's not just some random gamma rays tho? 
. And I gotta give props to these scientists for not giving up. They're pushing the boundaries of what we know about the universe, and that's always a good thing 
.
. Can't wait to see what other clues come out of this. Fingers crossed it's not just a bunch of noise 
. and if they're saying it's made up of particles way more massive than protons... that's mind-blowing! we need to see some serious verification before we start celebrating 
.
it's crazy to think that 27% of the universe is made up of stuff we can't directly observe, but maybe that's what makes it so interesting 
scientists are on the right track, but we'll need some more confirmation before we can start celebrating 
finally after all these years I can imagine how mind blown scientists must be like their whole lives leading up to this moment and now there's still some doubting going on 
. I remember when they first announced that neutrinos weren't actually particles, and now look what happened 
.
. But, on the other hand, all these years of searching and they're still saying it's like "aha!" moment 
... I mean, I'm happy for the scientists or whatever, but can't we just get some more info before we go wild? 
This news has me stoked! The detection of dark matter via gamma rays from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is a game-changer for our understanding of the universe 
️! What's really exciting here is the potential to shed light on a phenomenon that has puzzled scientists for decades 
. I'd love to see more research and analysis, but the prospect of finally understanding dark matter is too thrilling to ignore 