Comprehensive coverage

Discovering a minimum mass for galaxies provides a glimpse of dark matter

By analyzing light from dwarf galaxies surrounding the Milky Way, scientists believe they have discovered the minimum mass for galaxies in the universe - 10 million solar masses

The map of galaxies within a radius of half a million light years from the Milky Way. (Image: University of California)
The map of galaxies within a radius of half a million light years from the Milky Way. (Image: University of California)

By analyzing light from dwarf galaxies surrounding the Milky Way, scientists believe they have discovered the minimum mass for galaxies in the universe - 10 million solar masses. This mass may be the cornerstone of the mysterious and invisible substance called "dark matter". Stars formed from these building blocks cluster into galaxies. Scientists know very little about the micro-properties of dark matter, even though it makes up about five-sixths of all matter in the universe. "By discovering the minimum mass for galaxies, we can better understand how dark matter behaves, which is also essential in understanding how our universe and life as we know it was formed," says Luis Strigri, lead researcher in the study from the University of California, Irvine.

Dark matter controls the formation of structures in the universe. Without it, galaxies like our Milky Way could not have formed. Scientists know how the gravity of black matter pulls ordinary matter and causes galaxies to form. They also think that small galaxies eventually become larger galaxies like our Milky Way.

The smallest galaxies known to us, called dwarf galaxies, their brightness varies from galaxy to galaxy, it ranges between a thousand solar luminosities, and 10 million solar luminosities. At least 22 of the dwarf galaxies orbit the Milky Way. Scientists from the University of California studied 18 of them using the Kac telescope in Hawaii and the Magellan telescope in Chile, with the aim of calculating their masses. Analysis of the starlight in each galaxy allowed scientists to determine how fast they were moving and calculations of these speeds helped them discover the mass of each galaxy.

The researchers expected the masses to vary from galaxy to galaxy where, logically, the brighter galaxies should have a greater mass, and the fainter galaxies a lower mass. But amazingly, all the dwarf galaxies had the same mass - 10 million solar masses.

Manuy Caplingt, a physicist and professor of astronomy on behalf of the University of California who participated in the research, in order to explain the findings, used an analogy in which humans play the role of dark matter.

"Suppose that aliens fly over Earth and spot urban areas that are brightly lit at night. "From analyzing the amount of light in those areas, the aliens assume that more humans live in Los Angeles than in Bombay, but this is not the case," says Caplingt. "What we discovered is more extreme and close to saying that all living areas, even those that are barely visible to those aliens, have a population of about 10 million."

Since dwarf galaxies are composed primarily of dark matter—the ratio of dark matter to normal matter is about 10,000 to one—the minimum mass discovery reveals the basic properties of dark matter.

"We are excited because visually these galaxies are invisible, but contain an enormous amount of dark matter," says James Bullock, co-investigator and director of the University of California Cosmology Center. "It helps us better understand the particles that make up dark matter, and it teaches us about the formation of galaxies in the universe."

The scientists say it's possible that a cluster of dark matter exists without stars. The only detectable dark matter at the moment is the matter lit by stars.

The scientists hope to learn about the microscopic characteristics of dark matter when the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland is launched in the coming months. The facility will accelerate two beams of atomic nuclei in a ring in opposite directions and they will collide and create conditions similar to those that existed immediately after the Big Bang. This is how the scientists hope to create dark matter particles in the laboratory for the first time.

For the news in Universe Today

93 תגובות

  1. Kobi,

    I have already answered you twice in a serious way that included links, as well as a translation of the links. You got the answers you wanted.

    Any message accompanied by a personal insult to the forum readers will be blocked from now on.

  2. Kobi,
    The truth is that there is no telling and therefore no one knows what will happen in the future. Black holes, accidents, diseases, facts, all theories.

  3. for cool
    Sorry for asking..do you have your period today..or are you in some kind of period?
    If it's because of the homework in high school, there's a chance I'll understand... hey, how much fun it was on vacation!!

  4. Kobi is an idiot, religious and also 10 years old. I also estimate that when he grows up he will be some kind of cleaner or something stupid one way or another

  5. To my father Blizovsky

    What do you mean here?
    Please get back to us on the 11th of the month and everything seems to be fine
    what are you rowing

  6. Kobe, I can prove it, I have pictures.
    But it seems to me that you have already exaggerated your demands. Please get back to us on the 11th of the month and everything seems to be fine.

  7. From what I see, neither is willing to answer me seriously
    Including you, Avi Blizovsky gives me a link
    To the site where two scientists from Hawaii are suing CERN for
    The experiment is on September 10th and is still asking me if it satisfies me
    You are clowns.
    I asked a serious question here and you continue to answer as if it is
    Sketch of the pale tracker so please I'm not 10 years old
    I'm 36 years old .
    And Avi Blizovsky, you are sure that you were there at CERN because according to the answers you give me
    There is no proof that you were there Alec gives me a link to an article about the two scientists from Hawaii who are suing the experiment and you, as a reporter for the scientist, should also know what came out of this lawsuit
    And I still haven't received answers to this?
    very interesting
    and suspect

  8. To Michael

    What will I gain from this experiment?
    Yes, a defect
    Answers to the matter are not ready to be given here
    So which site is this?

  9. To my father Belizovezki

    You wrote me in the comments of the science site something that would calm me down and it was a hoax for an article about two scientists from Hawaii who are claiming the activation of the accelerator on September 10th and nothing more is written than that, so what is reassuring in this article?

  10. Kobi
    My comments are also for your attention
    When it is not possible to stop the current, you have to flow with it.
    All for the best, after all.
    The dawn breaks after the great darkness.
    patience.
    Shabbat Shalom and a blessed Elul.

  11. Kobe:
    It seems to me that the answers given by the scientists do not reassure you.
    On the other hand - what can you do?
    There is no way you will stop the experiment.
    So please, relax, and live each day as if it were your last.
    Some have suggested this without the LHC threat hanging over their heads so this may be good advice for you.
    Remember that before there was science, life expectancy was less than 36 so that even if the world was destroyed at 10 per month, you would have already made a profit.
    Sit back and enjoy the ride

  12. why new

    Answer me seriously and not joking, I'm not a 10-year-old boy
    I'm 36 so please have some respect
    Thanks

  13. Kobi
    the intent,
    A. If we stay alive after the experiment and wait for the results it won't hurt you.
    B. On the other hand, if a black hole were to form and swallow the earth, it wouldn't hurt you either.

    Don't take a joke seriously.

    post Scriptum.
    According to what I read about the accelerator experiment in the Earth's axis will not be swallowed by a black hole.

  14. Kobi,

    I read it in one of the articles here. Upon further inspection, I may have been confused and in fact it was written that the Earth is constantly bombarded with higher energy cosmic X-rays.

    Either way, according to the existing theory, the black holes, if they are created, will exist for a terribly short time - a billionth of a billionth of a billionth of a second, and their size will be so tiny that they will not be able to cause any damage.

  15. Kobi
    There are 2 options regarding the accelerator experiment:

    A. Or we wait after the experiment.
    B. Or we don't wait at all.

    In the 2 cases you personally will not feel pain.

  16. Kobi,

    The accelerator should find particles that cannot be detected in other accelerators. Finding (or not finding) these particles will finally determine which theories are the correct ones in modern physics.

    Understanding these theories can lead to a full understanding of gravity and the way it functions with the other three forces - the strong, the weak and the electromagnetic. Such an understanding can also lead to the control of gravity, similar to the way we control electricity today.

    And as I have already explained, teams of independent scientists have already investigated the issue thoroughly and shown that the predictions of rage have nothing to rely on. There is nothing to worry about, the Earth will remain intact even after the experiments. Black holes are constantly forming in the atmosphere, and we haven't been sucked into any of them yet.

    Roy.

  17. So the purpose of this experiment actually?
    I didn't understand until now
    Because from what I read the accelerator is supposed to recreate the big bang
    and find the divine slipper
    Because there are those who disagree about this experiment that a black hole may form and swallow the earth completely, and that's what I'm afraid of
    What do you have to say about it?

  18. To Kobe
    I have to calm you down.
    You know that Israel wants to knock out the Iranian reactor?, so I have news for you, it's just a cover-up, and in fact Israel is going to attack the accelerator with the axle, and it will do it with the help of Iranian suicide bombers!, isn't it true that no one expects that?
    Therefore, dear Kobe, go to sleep in peace, and you have nothing to worry about at all.

    good night sweetie
    Nomi nom
    Sabdarmish Yehuda

  19. to the point

    So why is no one trying to stop them?
    I'm scared to death
    don't want to die
    Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

  20. Not just a black hole. They can undermine the zero energy there and it will destroy the entire universe at the speed of light

  21. Kobi,

    In fact, when I did this article and the previous one about the accelerator, I talked to a number of physics professors at our university.
    There is no reason to worry.

  22. To Michael

    Because of you I lost a safe bet of ten dollars.
    Good night
    Sabdarmish Yehuda

  23. Kobi,

    Several studies have already been conducted on the safety of the accelerator. You can read the summary on Wikipedia:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_of_the_Large_Hadron_Collider

    A few sentences from the summary:
    "After careful studies, scientists have concluded that the particle accelerator experiments will not endanger our planet, beyond any reasonable doubt."
    And, "there is strong empirical evidence against the possibility of creating dangerous strangelets."

    According to every physical theory known to us today, the tiny black holes that will be formed will dissipate long before they have time to suck up matter from their surroundings. Such black holes are formed every second in the Earth's atmosphere, and the planet is not destroyed in the process.

    So you can relax.

    Roy.

  24. Liel Petar
    How do you know that nothing will happen to the earth on September 10th, why did you speak?
    With the manager, what's her name?

  25. If we are already discussing here about all the wondering about the dark matter in the universe, I would recommend looking at some
    Historical events that happened at the same time in the late 1930s+ - in Austria and Europe at the same time: from the astronomical point of view, the infrastructure of the psychological sciences - the Freud, Adler, and Jung group.
    And... the black hole that opened in the heart.. our beings.. whoever wants to check a few more synchronized parallels
    for that period, and will add.

  26. Yehuda:
    I already mentioned in a previous version of this debate that this type of offer is unfair because if you lose you won't have to pay :)

  27. To the frightened Kobe

    What's your problem?, I'm willing to bet you that the earth will continue to exist even after the accelerator is activated. What do you say?, my thousand dollars for your ten dollars, we bet?
    Think and relax.

    good evening
    Sabdarmish Yehuda

  28. I didn't notice that above in my previous message it accidentally showed me as "anonymous user"

    Anyway,

    Kobi,
    As I wrote - on September 10th they will activate the accelerator and nothing will happen to DHA.
    So you can relax

  29. To Judah

    So on September 10, what's going to happen, I still haven't understood?
    Do they activate the accelerator?
    Or they will wait
    Why doesn't anyone stop them if it's dangerous?

  30. To Kobe
    I'm sorry but you are being misled big time!. There is no need for a black hole the size of millions of suns like the one found at the center of the galaxy. In my humble opinion, even a sun-sized black hole would suffice.
    On second thought, even a black hole the size of a shimsha would definitely be enough. He will already swallow our revered balls.

    And for Yael and Hogin, who respond in God's knowledge, don't worry!
    The keeper of Israel(s) will neither sleep nor sleep

    Good Day,
    And always with a smile
    Sabdarmish Yehuda

  31. Kobi,

    Take things in proportion. Collisions of particles at high speeds occur all the time in the universe and the fact is that we are still here and the world has not yet collapsed.
    Besides, to create a dangerous black hole, like the one at the center of every spiral galaxy, you need a little more than two photons colliding in a 27 km long accelerator.

  32. to the point
    So okay, we've reached the point of contention between us. You say a million percent is likely and I say a million percent (even a thousand percent) is unlikely.
    The respondents will decide what is reasonable from what.

    Good Day
    Sabdarmish Yehuda

  33. Why is the world silent to them if a black hole might form, peace and blessings not be upon us on earth
    What do they want to eliminate us?
    I do not understand

  34. Not Judah, not the dark babies. The babies are normal. It's just that there is a bacteria there that we haven't seen or heard about in the news.
    "Possibly" we are not talking about possibly, there could be an infinite number of things. Talk about what is reasonable. And what you say is unlikely.

  35. To Dr. Ash Ash Ash Ash
    I liked:- "dark matter is the antimatter"!, nice definition.
    As for the sequel, here I am troubled!
    The sweetness of the lips with which you try to woo our chameleon requires us to be extra careful and guard the few treasures of the fair sex that respond on this site. Let's hope you don't have dark goals in your innocent offer.
    And we would suggest not to be tempted by passers-by on our sites backed by heat and fire.
    We will stand guard here!

    Good day, and with a smile!
    Sabdarmish Yehuda

  36. Dear point
    I'm fascinated by the upgraded Mohal model and hold it warmly with both hands.
    It is true that the problem could be something dark in the African babies, but it is also possible that the problem is in the tools for surgery and in the sap excited by the intensity of the snoring zerg of a common African baby.
    I see a certain racism in placing all the weight of blame on the darkness of the African babies and think that maybe it is after all the fault of the sap and its tools that did not exactly fit the new size of the object of the covenant. And on this it is said: - The size does matter!
    And this is also true in galaxies.

    Good Day
    Sabdarmish Yehuda

  37. So that's it - there are a number of insane people here, possibly on the verge of insanity, some of them tend to be mentally disconnected from the reality going on around them...

    Others suffer from anxieties and emotional diarrhea.

    And finally there are those who sharpen sharpenings, rattle off difficulties and worship the god of the healing substance, also known as "the substance"...

    Liel, if you feel that you cannot stand the pressure, and you are anxious about the future... I would love to hold your hand and we will march to the bunker, hand in hand...
    Until the horizon vibrates...if you are interested, please contact me

  38. Yehuda, it seems that you are wrong many times in bringing parables that fit the explanation of the example.
    You started the parable with "Mohel who was wrong by a million percent" and it doesn't fit the parable at all. The analogy is that Newton's formula is correct in all cases that we measure directly in laboratories (up to the approximation of the theory of relativity) and in the near environment that can be measured well.

    In other words, a good parable should have started with "a sap whose entire aura that was photographed was perfect. And now we heard on the news about a case in Africa where millions of babies died after the word. Then logic says that it was not the word that caused death but a mysterious disease that existed in babies from the beginning.

    Yehuda, do you understand? An analogy is made in such a way that the subject in the parable and in the parable play similar roles in successes and failures. and not reversed roles.

  39. To Hugin - I am apparently used to signing my name at the end of the document as I am used to doing in documents that appear in my business which, despite their title including my name, I sign at the end.
    The cool commenter has no attempt to hypnotize here.

    It seems to me that I have answered most of the responses to my response
    bye for now
    Sabdarmish Yehuda

  40. To Michael - apparently I'm short of understanding the intuitive connection between Bombay, Lamsa Apila and how it relates to the fact that cows are vegetarian.
    To the point - you said: - "Because the deviation is very high. It is not possible that Newton's formula is so wrong." So to upgrade this word of wisdom I will give an example that we have been dealing with for a while and that is circumcision. In your opinion, Mr. Nakta Mohel, who was XNUMX million percent wrong in the cut-off amount of the poor young Jew, this is only proof that he is a good Mohel, even an excellent one? I'm sorry Mr. Point, but I and apparently Hugin (as a representative of the fairer sex) disagree with you!
    To the cool commenter - indeed, an expenditure of many billions was made there. I wouldn't do it.
    And I don't think we measure the mass well. In my opinion, it is actually measured in a very successful way by the light emanating from the galaxies. The reason for the contradiction between the speed of the galaxies and gravitation is different.

    To be continued
    good evening
    Sabdarmish Yehuda

  41. So the CERN accelerator is dangerous for humanity or not?
    What is supposed to happen on the same day the accelerator is activated on September 10?
    And why is no one trying to stop this experiment even though they think it is dangerous for humanity?
    Why is the world silent?

  42. Hello everyone

    I had a busy (and successful) day at work and here I am back. So let's read the comments and start responding. Turkish, Turkish.

    So good evening for now
    Sabdarmish Yehuda

  43. Yael:
    As you saw, Wiki herself points to other sources and one of those sources was also cited in my follow-up response.

  44. Nice Michael, I'm always happy to learn new things. And when I read this on the wiki, it certainly sounds strange to me that the dark matter on the one hand does not carry out a gravitational pull and on the other hand affects the galaxies with its gravity, because in both cases it is the effect of the gravity of the matter.

    In any case, just as you cannot always trust the Hebrew version of Wiki, you cannot always rely on the English version either, even though logic requires that the English version be a little more up-to-date.

    In any case, this wiki is not the Sinaitic Torah, but this site has some serious advantages.

    I will try to find more material on the subject of gravitational repulsion and the gravitational effects of dark matter from other sources.

  45. I found the reason for Peter's mistake.
    The strange claim that dark matter is not a lens is indeed written in the Hebrew Wikipedia.
    Every time I am sorry to have to prove the superiority of the Hebrew version of Wikipedia compared to the English version

  46. Palm and someone:
    There is a huge difference between dark matter and ether.
    Dark matter is located in some regions and in others it is absent. A website was supposed to be everywhere.
    Dark matter does not participate in any known interaction other than gravity, ether was supposed to transmit all electromagnetic waves and was not attributed an effect on gravity.

    Peter:
    Dark matter actually causes a gravitational pull and this is one of the proofs of its existence, as can be seen on Wikipedia.
    Look at section 1.3 in the following link:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_matter

    A:
    Dark matter is unknown but the available evidence probably indicates that the answer to most of your questions is no.
    Dark matter does not seem to interact with normal matter (at least not at the energies that exist outside the particle accelerator).
    For example, and this also refers to Peter's words, in the images of two galaxies that collided, you can see how the components of normal matter hit each other and are braked by the collision, while the components of dark matter pass through each other and through the normal matter of the galaxy without interruption (the components of dark matter are identified by the gravitational pull)

    For everyone who talked about the invalidity of Newton's laws/relativity at these distances, I can only repeat and mention the Saul galaxy.

  47. A.,

    Wikipedia has an excellent explanation of dark matter, but I can also summarize for you here.

    Dark matter is matter whose gravitational influence on stars and the motion of galaxies can be seen but cannot be seen.

    When the astronomers map the movement of the stars and galaxies, they see that the amount of mass in each galaxy does not correspond to its movement, and also that it cannot be that from the big bang until today, the clusters and galaxies managed to unite in the way they are without there being any other mass that affects in terms of its gravity.
    But the problem is that astronomers know that there is some kind of mass that affects the gravity of the stars and galaxies, but you cannot see this mass, this material does not shine.
    And another thing I discovered when I just looked at the wiki is that not only does the matter not shine, but it also does not cause gravitational contraction - it does not distort the light that passes by it from stars behind it - which is really strange.

  48. The same dark matter.. Let's assume for a moment that it does exist, what the hell is this about?. Let's say I could fill a pot with such material and the material was tangible? Could it be considered? Sculpt shapes of rabbits and garden gnomes in it? I roughly understand the elegant solution that the theory provides to questions concerning the mass and motion of galaxies, but the properties of this material are not clear, will a spacecraft collide with it?, can it be ground and spread as fertilizer? Someone please explain!

  49. Kobi,

    Here is an article on the subject
    https://www.hayadan.org.il/could-welsh-scientist-end-our-universe-3005085/
    In principle this could indeed be the end of the world, but unlikely.

    When I asked one of our professors if the scenario of a tiny black hole ingesting nuclear power is acceptable, he replied that even when the nuclear bomb was in its infancy, everyone thought that a chain reaction would be created that would destroy all nuclear power - and it didn't happen.

    In addition, it is worth noting that the best minds from many countries are involved in the story, and it is likely that most of these scientists, if not all, do not have a death wish, so the chances are that we will not die.

  50. Higgs
    Nice!! If that's the case, a good man demands, a good man fulfills... and the one who starts with the mitzvah, they say he's finished. And on the one signed by you:
    Sincerely, Bozon.
    And cool: oops, that's when you stole Yehuda's seal. Wait for Yehuda..to see..ohwww
    Besides, what class did you go to last night? For some reason it seems to me that what you once said to Linon was
    Metaphor. Am I wrong??

  51. So what is supposed to happen on September 10?
    Someone stop them with God's help
    I really hope it's not the end of the world?
    Someone answer me professionally about this

  52. Hugin
    In my opinion, it is important to sign at the end as well as at the beginning
    Because sometimes they start to answer and it develops from line to sentence and so on, so let's say if at first you are defined as one such and such... In the end, you are already someone else anyway, but someone else and then you have to go look in the mirror and take out an ID to know who you are, it's easier and simple to sign at the end and it reminds you of who you are and some other things you forgot through.

  53. to 9 (Palm), this time you got ahead of me...

    For years I have been claiming that dark matter is like it
    A mysterious "site" whose existence Einstein disproved - and now
    It returns under a new name: "dark matter".

  54. Yehuda??
    I have a question, why do you bother to sign at the end, if your name is the most elegant and clear in the title?
    I didn't ask to insult, but to understand why it is necessary to waste energy... and maybe there is a hidden reason
    I didn't understand?

  55. Yehuda, you are obviously right that it is very strange and one could even say stinks that the galaxy has only 0.01% of the mass required for its existence. And based on this, the orientation of a hypothetical substance about which nothing is known is determined. That is why they invested tens of billions in the establishment of the LHC-b.
    If they do not discover any dark matter there then it is likely that such matter does not exist, or it is simply normal matter under special conditions.
    In any case, always remember that paradoxes are solved from the beginning (ie from the data) and not from the end (ie the problem). In the end you can still find out that the astronomical mass measurement methods are not correct at galactic distances..

  56. I asked like this:
    Will the Swiss, known as experts #1 in creating watches, be able to create from "dark" material
    A world that "ticks" by accelerating the two beams of atomic nuclei in a ring in opposite directions
    And boom-bang from a big laboratory, we will be distributed from Opal, particles of "new" light??
    In short, from the deepest opal, what is there to lose?? I have to flow with you and all the particles of thoughts... and we'll see what will happen... in the new explosion....

  57. Maybe there really is a very large amount of dark matter in dwarf lexicons, on the other hand it could be that Newton's laws are not valid in these cases, all in all we lack a lot of knowledge, in my opinion it is not possible to completely rule out any theory, as long as we do not have enough evidence.

  58. Sabdarmish Yehuda
    Maybe you can explain why Newton's formula breaks at such distances and maybe you have some formula that describes this breaking of symmetry as a function of distance

  59. Yehuda is exactly the opposite.
    Because the deviation is very high. It is not possible that Newton's formula is so wrong...

  60. Yehuda:
    You burst into a purple door 🙂
    In the parable given about Bombay, they used people in the role of dark matter and not "dark matter inside sacred cows" and it is well known that cows - especially sacred cows, abstain from eating human flesh.

  61. How I made a mistake in signing my name, apparently it was because of the excitement of the response.
    So have a good day again

    Sabdarmish Yehuda

  62. I knew you would at least respond. And I really thank you for the reference to my response. In these crazy days, where everyone only cares about their eyes, this is also something. .
    Regarding the essence of your learned response, we only have to find out how much dark mass there is in an average sacred Indian cow.

    Good Day
    Sabramish Yehuda

  63. Quote from the article:-
    "Because dwarf galaxies are composed mostly of dark matter—the ratio of dark matter to normal matter is about 10,000 to one—the minimum mass discovery reveals the basic properties of dark matter." End quote.
    Notice what they are doing here. To explain the rapid rotation of the dwarf galaxies, they stick to Newton's gravitation formula, but, since the mass is not enough, they increase it by dark matter. The main thing is not to give up Newton's formula.
    So if for this purpose they would add a few more percent of (dark) mass, let's say, I would even give in to the celebrating scientists if they added one hundred or two hundred percent, but they add a million percent of mass to their data!!!, ten thousand times the visible mass For whom the main thing is not to give up the gravitation formula of the beloved Newton.
    Tell me dear commenters, doesn't this seem ridiculous to you???? A million percent extra???
    The only conclusion that can be drawn from the above measurements of the dwarf galaxies in the vicinity of the Milky Way, that Newton's gravitation formula is not completely accurate already at distances of several tens of thousands of light years and the movement is caused by another reason!!!
    Please respond gently.
    Good night everyone

    Sabdarmish Yehuda

Leave a Reply

Email will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismat to prevent spam messages. Click here to learn how your response data is processed.