Dark Matter not present in Galaxy when distance is Increased

In summary, the article discusses the potential for a transformation to eliminate or create Dark Matter and how this would impact the mystery of its existence. It also touches on the concept of Occam's razor and how it applies to this topic. However, recent observations have shown that the original estimation of distance to a galaxy was overestimated, leading to the conclusion that the mass in stars is not as high as initially thought and the remainder is made up of dark matter. This highlights the potential for sensational results to be exaggerated or based on errors in observation.
  • #1
GiftOfPlasma
26
0
TL;DR Summary
Dark Matter appears when distance is Reduced
I thought this article was interesting (and here).
It made me think, if a transformation is sufficient to eliminate or create Dark Matter... Then the mystery of the existence of Dark Matter would become a mystery of why all of the other distance measurements are wrong in a universe without Dark Matter.

Which way does Occam's razor slice?
 
Space news on Phys.org
  • #2
GiftOfPlasma said:
Which way does Occam's razor slice?

Towards this thread being locked soon.
 
  • Like
Likes davenn and weirdoguy
  • #3
GiftOfPlasma said:
Summary: Dark Matter appears when distance is Reduced

I thought this article was interesting (and here).
It made me think, if a transformation is sufficient to eliminate or create Dark Matter... Then the mystery of the existence of Dark Matter would become a mystery of why all of the other distance measurements are wrong in a universe without Dark Matter.

Which way does Occam's razor slice?
I'm not sure what the confusion is here. The original observation overestimated the distance by around 50%. This caused them to think that the intrinsic brightness of the galaxy was far greater than it actually is. A brighter galaxy is brighter because it contains more mass in stars. They then were able to estimate how quickly the stars in the galaxy were orbiting, which showed that the mass in stars roughly matched the expected mass.

Now that multiple measurements have shown that the galaxy is actually much closer, its intrinsic brightness can't be nearly as high, so its mass in stars can't be anywhere near as high as originally thought, and so the remainder is made up by dark matter, and the galaxy no longer looks so bizarre.

This is usually the case with sensational results: if it sounds sensational, it's probably one of two things:
1) The result was exaggerated so that it's not as sensational as the news reporting makes it sound.
2) There's an error somewhere in the observation.
 
  • #4
GiftOfPlasma said:
if a transformation is sufficient to eliminate or create Dark Matter...

It's not a "transformation". It's a re-analysis of the data which shows that the distance to this particular galaxy was overestimated.

GiftOfPlasma said:
a mystery of why all of the other distance measurements are wrong

That's not a "mystery", it's just a highly implausible claim that is not a suitable basis for further discussion.

Thread closed.
 

FAQ: Dark Matter not present in Galaxy when distance is Increased

1. What is dark matter?

Dark matter is a hypothetical type of matter that is thought to make up about 85% of the total matter in the universe. It is invisible and does not emit or absorb light, making it difficult to detect and study.

2. How do we know dark matter is not present in a galaxy when the distance is increased?

Scientists have observed the rotation of galaxies and found that the outer regions of galaxies are moving faster than expected based on the visible matter present. This suggests the presence of additional matter, which we call dark matter. When the distance is increased, the gravitational pull of dark matter on the outer regions of the galaxy decreases, causing the stars to move at a slower speed.

3. What is the significance of dark matter not being present in a galaxy at a larger distance?

The absence of dark matter in a galaxy at a larger distance provides evidence for the existence of dark matter. If dark matter did not exist, the stars in the outer regions of a galaxy would not be moving at such high speeds, and the observed rotation curves would not match our predictions. This supports the idea that dark matter is a crucial component in understanding the structure and behavior of galaxies.

4. Is dark matter evenly distributed throughout the universe?

No, dark matter is not evenly distributed throughout the universe. It is thought to be more concentrated in the inner regions of galaxies and in galaxy clusters. This is because dark matter interacts with normal matter through gravity, and therefore, it tends to cluster in areas with a high concentration of normal matter.

5. How do scientists study dark matter if it is invisible?

Scientists use various methods to study dark matter, including gravitational lensing, galaxy rotation curves, and particle detectors. Gravitational lensing is the bending of light by the gravitational pull of dark matter, which can provide clues about its distribution and properties. Galaxy rotation curves can also reveal the presence of dark matter. Particle detectors are used to search for the particles that make up dark matter, such as weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs).

Similar threads

I More extended equilibrium configurations due to dark energy?
Replies
19
Views
2K
I Distant Galaxy study, dark matter and the CMBR
Replies
1
Views
1K
I Is a galaxy's halo displaced dark matter?
Replies
1
Views
1K
I Is dark energy pushing or is it a mirror concept of gravity?
Replies
31
Views
3K
I What would the universe look like without dark matter?
Replies
5
Views
2K
I Why not detect dark matter in our own galaxy?
Replies
12
Views
2K
B Does dark energy or cosmic inflation explain flatness?
2
Replies
37
Views
4K
I New Paper Claims Primordial Black Holes Don't Explain Dark Matter
Replies
20
Views
2K
I Implications if New Dark Matter Maps are Correct?
Replies
9
Views
1K
I "Centaurus A Contradicts Dark Matter Models"
Replies
4
Views
2K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top