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The more we study dark matter, the more beautiful pictures of the universe we get.
According to a recent study published in the Astrophysical Journal, the Earth grows hairs of dark matter. Now that researchers have finally managed to see how dark matter forms around the Earth, they plan to identify the exact place where this “idk matter” originates and hopefully, get more data on its composition.
Dark matter has long been studied by NASA scientists, but no matter how many studies they conduct, there are still many mysteries left out there for them to solve. The most recent discovery that astronomers have made is related to the shape that dark matter takes when in contact with the surface of our planet.
The lead author of the current research, Gary Prézeau used NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to photograph dark matter as it covered the surface of the Earth. They have, thus, discovered that dark matter turns into fine hairs as it travels through our very own solar system.
This is, however, not the most important part of the current study, but rather the fact that the fine hairs signal a thinning of the dark matter as it grows near to surrounding planets. Prézeau estimates there could be a “root” where the Universe’s dark matter originates and he plans to find it next.
Discovering the root of dark matter would have an incredibly big significance. Gary estimates we could learn more about dark matter and its behavior through space if we find the exact place where it originates.
The scientist has further discovered dark matter hairs tend to retain traces from the planets they have encountered as they have traveled through space. This means astronomers could soon reveal secrets of very distant planets and locate unknown celestial bodies by simply studying the structure of dark matter hairs.
Dark matter is one of the most important elements in the Universe. It stands for approximately 27 percent of the entire Universe, whereas the rest is made out of dark energy – an unknown force which is responsible for the expansion of the universe. There is also normal matter, as scientists have described it, but its overall presence does not exceed 5 percent.
Image source: www.zmescience.com
