Giant ropes of dark matter found in new sky survey

In summary, a survey using the world's largest astronomical camera has found huge filaments of dark matter in thousands of distant galaxies, supporting the theory that dark matter played a key role in the formation of galaxies and cosmic structures. This discovery also resolves a discrepancy in previous studies about the amount of dark matter in the universe. The survey, conducted by astronomers at the Institute of Astrophysics in Paris, is still ongoing and has already covered an area of the sky 300 times the size of the Full Moon. Some have speculated that the structure of these filaments resembles that of a neural network, which can be generated by an underlying cellular automata machine architecture in computational simulations.
  • #1
SF
Huge filaments of dark matter have been detected in a survey of thousands of distant galaxies. The discovery supports the idea that dark matter drove the formation of galaxies and larger cosmic structures and resolves a discrepancy in previous studies about how much dark matter the universe contains.

The survey, which is still ongoing, has already covered an area of the sky around 300 times the size of the Full Moon. Astronomers led by Liping Fu of the Institute of Astrophysics in Paris, France, have analysed data gathered by the 340-megapixel MegaCam – the largest astronomical camera in the world – attached to the 3.6-metre Canada France Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) in Hawaii, US.

http://space.newscientist.com/artic...s-of-dark-matter-found-in-new-sky-survey.html
 
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  • #2
I was over at the Max Plank Institute website reading about this and their Calculated Luminosity Function. Elsewhere, quite a few people have made the same coincidental speculation about the neural network-like structure form.

From a computation simulation point of view, neural networks are often generated by an underlying cellular automata machine architecture.
 

1. What is dark matter?

Dark matter is a type of matter that is believed to make up about 85% of the total matter in the universe. It does not emit or absorb light, making it invisible to telescopes, but its presence can be inferred through its gravitational effects on visible matter.

2. How were the giant ropes of dark matter discovered?

The ropes of dark matter were discovered through a new sky survey called the Dark Energy Survey. This survey uses a powerful camera to map the distribution of galaxies in the universe. Scientists were able to identify the presence of dark matter by analyzing the gravitational lensing effect it has on the light from these galaxies.

3. What are the implications of this discovery?

This discovery provides further evidence for the existence of dark matter and helps us better understand its distribution in the universe. It also gives scientists a better understanding of the large-scale structure of the universe and how it has evolved over time.

4. How do these ropes of dark matter differ from other forms of dark matter?

These giant ropes of dark matter are different from other forms of dark matter, such as halos or clumps, because they are much larger in scale. They are thought to connect different galaxy clusters together, providing a sort of cosmic web that helps hold the universe together.

5. What is the next step in studying these giant ropes of dark matter?

The next step in studying these giant ropes of dark matter is to use other telescopes and instruments to gather more data and confirm the results from the Dark Energy Survey. Scientists will also continue to study the properties and behavior of dark matter in order to gain a better understanding of its role in the universe.

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