This Weird Galaxy Is Actually 99.99 Percent Dark Matter

[May90]

Astronomers have discovered a galaxy as big as the Milky Way that consists almost entirely of dark matter, a mysterious and invisible substance that scientists have been trying to figure out for decades. Only one-hundredth of one percent of the galaxy is ordinary, visible matter like stars and planets. The other 99.99 percent of the stuff in this galaxy can't be seen.
...

http://www.space.com/33850-weird-gal...rk-matter.html

I think this is a landmark discovery. Not only will this galaxy allow us to finally get to study dark matter in the most "pure" form we have been able to so far, but it also raises quite a few questions on what other constructs made primarily, or even entirely, of dark matter we are missing. Perhaps the variety of macroscopic objects in the Universe is much higher than we have previously thought!

[Independent voter]

That's it! Advance alien species use dark matter to hide their transmissions.

[May90]

That's it! Advance alien species use dark matter to hide their transmissions.

Yes, I think we have finally figured it out! Dark matter is element zero, and aliens use Mass Effect fields to transmit their signals!

[GennGreymane]

But what does this mean? We must go there.... QUICK, FUND NASA!!!!!!!!!!!

[XDurionX]

I like my galaxies like my coffee.

[GennGreymane]

I like my galaxies like my coffee.

99.99% dark matter?

[XDurionX]

99.99% dark matter?

[picture of donuts orbiting the coffee cup]

[ParanoiD84]

Tyranids are coming for mmo champions servers.

[Rizendragon]

99.99% dark matter?

I was going to say dark and silent... :X

[Blueobelisk]

Is there a more reputable source? Because I'm pretty sure we knew the universe was 95% dark matter years ago. I'm not seeing anything that indicates where this new 4.99% is coming from.

[Deleted]

Is there a more reputable source? Because I'm pretty sure we knew the universe was 95% dark matter years ago. I'm not seeing anything that indicates where this new 4.99% is coming from.

I think the point was that while the universe is 95% dark matter, the galaxies within it are not. Except now there's this one, which is.

[Garnier Fructis]

Is there a more reputable source? Because I'm pretty sure we knew the universe was 95% dark matter years ago. I'm not seeing anything that indicates where this new 4.99% is coming from.

It's a specific galaxy, not the whole universe. Dark matter is also only like 20-30% of universe afaik, the rest is dark energy.

[Deleted]

I can't wait to hear a layman version of their findings, it's going to be fascinating to find out what dark matter actually is, since there is so much of it and it explains so much that we otherwise cannot explain

Maybe the answer really is like in the movies and dark matter is actually made of pure love, or eternal hope

[May90]

Is there a more reputable source? Because I'm pretty sure we knew the universe was 95% dark matter years ago. I'm not seeing anything that indicates where this new 4.99% is coming from.

It is a bit different. Dark matter is around 27%, and 70% is dark energy - which, as far as we know, isn't really a matter, but, rather, a force field.

However, those 27%, compared to 3% of the regular matter, can be distributed across the Universe in a complex way. For example, if you take Solar system, then the amount of dark matter here will be fairly tiny; but if you take the whole Milky Way, then it will be much larger, although I don't remember how much exactly. 5 times as much as regular matter?

I can't wait to hear a layman version of their findings, it's going to be fascinating to find out what dark matter actually is, since there is so much of it and it explains so much that we otherwise cannot explain

Maybe the answer really is like in the movies and dark matter is actually made of pure love, or eternal hope

I think answering what dark matter is is still decades ahead. Using this galaxy and some other objects, we can learn quite a few properties of dark matter, but until we actually detect a dark matter particle in a particle detector, we won't know for sure what it consists of. And so far the detecting efforts haven't succeeded.

[madokbro]

A few, quick questions if you don't mind:

Is dark matter considered a form of exotic matter? If so, could it be used as fuel in the hypothetical Alcubierre drive? If not, what exactly is the criteria that needs to be met for matter to count as exotic?

[May90]

A few, quick questions if you don't mind:

Is dark matter considered a form of exotic matter? If so, could it be used as fuel in the hypothetical Alcubierre drive? If not, what exactly is the criteria that needs to be met for matter to count as exotic?

We don't know what dark matter is, but we are quite sure that, at least, a significant portion of it consists of special particles that barely interact with anything at all in ways other than gravitational. It is highly doubtful that it could be used for anything practical, as it wouldn't be possible to contain it inside the reservoir.

As for it being exotic, it depends on the definition. It is exotic in that it is not a part of so called Standard Model (plus either of it extensions), which so far has managed to explain every particle and its properties we've seen.

[Kokolums]

I can't wait to hear a layman version of their findings, it's going to be fascinating to find out what dark matter actually is, since there is so much of it and it explains so much that we otherwise cannot explain

Maybe the answer really is like in the movies and dark matter is actually made of pure love, or eternal hope

We still don't know what matter actually is. We know there are 6 quarks. Those 6 quarks probably break down into even smaller particles called preons, just because the way the quarks are arranged on the quark periodic table suggests internal structure. And the models for preons suggest preons break down into something even smaller. But it gets impossible because we cannot observe things at that level.

atoms > protons, neutrons > quarks > preons > something even smaller????

preon chat:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...ysics-special/

One candidate for dark matter is a chunk of ordinary matter (about the size of an asteroid) that collapsed into a miniature black hole, and then captured an electron or neutron to hold a neutral charge. In theory, this black hole atom wouldn't even really interact with regular matter at all.

miniature black hole chat:

https://medium.com/the-physics-arxiv...307#.c9a5fcoef

Of course, this is all just speculation. Who knows?

[unbound]

I can't wait to hear a layman version of their findings, it's going to be fascinating to find out what dark matter actually is, since there is so much of it and it explains so much that we otherwise cannot explain

Maybe the answer really is like in the movies and dark matter is actually made of pure love, or eternal hope

Good place to start:

[Ripster42]

I can't wait to hear a layman version of their findings, it's going to be fascinating to find out what dark matter actually is, since there is so much of it and it explains so much that we otherwise cannot explain

Maybe the answer really is like in the movies and dark matter is actually made of pure love, or eternal hope

So you're saying that the residents of that galaxy loved themselves into oblivion?

[apepi]

If the galaxy is 99.99% dark matter...then the visible matter is not ordinary....the Dark Matter is.