A team of scientists has identified a lack of dark matter between galaxies

A team made up of Zili Shen and Pieter Dokkum, of Yale University, and Shany Danieli, who works with NASA’s Hubble, revealed that Dark matter is rare in galaxies. This conclusion, which was proposed in an investigation published in Astrophysical Journal Letters, is based on data obtained from the 40 orbits that the famous telescope has access to.

In their report, the scientists allude to the super-diffused galaxy, or dwarf, NGC1052-DF2 (DF2). Daniele points in the study, referred to in turn by EurekAlert, “Determining the exact distance that DF2 is located was key to it Support our previous resultsThe proposed update in his new work “was crucial to calculating the effect that the galaxy’s physical properties might have, underlining the rarity of dark matter.”

Added to this work is one released by the team in 2019. In this case, the scientists measured a neighboring dwarf galaxy called NGC1052-DF4 (DF4) from twelve Hubble orbits in combination with TRGB data, which indicates the distance. Based on this information, the group verified the lack of dark matter, which is linked to a 2018 study in which they observed “shiny swings on the surface”.

Quieter and less intense

Information released by Hubble in the analysis published this month also indicates that the analyzed galaxies are farther away than previously thought. According to experts, this is the result of a lack of dark matter. Yes DF2 It was closer to the groundAs astronomers point out, it would be inherently fainter and less massive, requiring more dark matter.

Dark matter is an essential component of galaxies, as it is a kind of glue that holds them together It “manages” the movement of the visible matter. Interestingly, discovering the lack of dark matter allows scientists to discover more about the evolution of galaxies.