Science

False Color Photo Of Dark Matter, Which Is Said To Appear Pink
Photo Source: NASA Chandra X-ray Satellite

Dark Matter, we keep hearing the term, but the elusive stuff still has never been seen. Scientists, especially astronomers, are almost all united in the fact that dark matter does exist, but for more than a human lifetime they haven't been able to figure out how to prove this. Up to this point, when we discuss the existence of dark matter we have to say that it is hypothetical matter that so far has been undetectable. In 2005 a British team announced that they had discovered an object that, excuse the expression, appeared to be an invisible galaxy. It was supposedly invisible because it was made of dark matter. The galaxy contained no stars. So how was this galaxy found if it was invisible? Could there have been dark matter stars that we are not aware of? Scientists would say no, but there was no gravitational evidence of this. It was discovered using a radio telescope which does not depend on visible light being emitted.

The truth is that when we only look at the visible light being emitted from stars and hot gas, we are limiting ourselves in what we can observe. Scientists will tell you that the universe is so much more than that and there is probably much more out there that is waiting to be discovered. In 2007 it was said that Chandra, a probe that can see in X-ray mode was said to have discovered dark matter. It took a photograph of a region that was said to contain dark matter and NASA colored this matter pink so that we could actually see it. The way that dark matter can be detected is that it moves faster than normal matter, or so I am told. Because of this factor it reacts different to gravitational forces and can be tracked.

Why is it that scientists believe Dark Matter exists? They came to this conclusion because objects like stars seems to be accelerating far beyond what would normally happen with the amount of mass that we can see. There are some scientists that feel that there is another cause for this acceleration, but they are in the minority. This theory was challenged a few years ago when some scientists stated that they found stars in certain types of galaxies that actually move slower than expected. This set the computers churning and a solution for this odd behavior was found and that was that these particular galaxies were surrounded by a halo of Dark Matter, which produced this odd behavior. It almost seems that all odd astronomical behavior is being blamed on Dark Matter.

Small Galaxies in Perseus Galaxy Cluster. They Remain Undisturbed While Larger Galaxies In That Galaxy Are Being Torn Apart. NASA States That This Is Because They Are Surrounded By Dark Matter Which Is Protecting Them From Tidal Forces.
Photo Source: NASA Hubble

If Dark Matter doesn't exist, then science is in trouble, because there is a lot to explain. One of these things is why our space probes act so strangely and slow down in space, when they shouldn't. Is there a chance, no matter how small, that something else is affecting the planets and stars? I personally think that the chance is always there, until we nail down the Dark Matter theory. One explanation I heard seemed strange, but here it is. One scientist stated that he believed that beyond where we think the furthermost galaxies have been thrown to from the big bang, there are huge collections of matter and that is what is pulling everything and that is why the galaxies seem to be drifting away at ever increasing speeds. If there was some huge object that contained this much matter, I wonder what it would look like? It would be too big to even imagine.

Another scientist states that maybe there was another dimension out there that had a huge attraction and that is the reason for the ever increasing speed. One can only guess when it comes to things of this type. It could even turn out that there is a force that exists that we know nothing about yet. I am not talking about Dark Matter, but something else. Maybe it would be more of a gravitational amplifier, but wouldn't involve hidden matter at all, but hidden force. The universe is so huge that the human mind is incapable of grasping its enormity. When you have something this large and complex almost anything could exist in it. We think that since we know physics, we understand a lot about the universe, but could there be places where our physics is wrong, or just doesn't work? Maybe. We know how most medicines work, yet if we mix some of them we get unexpected results. Could it be the same with space phenomena? Maybe if we put certain things together we would get an enormously amplified attractive force?

Just last year NASA announced that it had discovered Dark Matter in an Accretion Disk. That is the disk that surrounds another thing that we can not see, it is a black hole. When matter is being sucked into a supposed black hole, it swirls around it in this disc before entering the hole, or so we are told. I can't help but be uncomfortable talking about things that can not be seen. There is always that nagging feeling that what we are discussing will be found not to exist in later years and objects like black holes and Dark Matter will turn out to be something entirely different. I guess I am selfish in the fact that I wouldn't want anyone to happen to read one of my articles in the future where I was completely wrong, but it happens.

Scientists think that they have devised a way to see if Dark Matter actually exists. They theorize that if 90% of all matter is Dark Matter then Dark Matter particles must pass through the earth much as other particles do. This would mean that they are also passing through us. Anyway scientists are trying to build a trap for these particles. The idea is that if a Dark Matter particles moves an atom of ordinary matter we should be able to detect it. That is why at least ten teams of scientists are devising experiments to detect this. Again I am not a fan of indirect detection, but I am not a physicist either so I have to assume that they know a lot more than me. One of the experiments is called XENON100 and consists of containers of liquid xenon that supposedly will stop atoms and create a brief flash. The idea is that a WIMP or weakly interacting massive particle will hit the atom of liquid xenon.

I want to see an actual atom of Dark Matter. I want to see an actual black hole. I guess this is my problem, because I find that without seeing, it is just too hard to believe.