Dark Matter not present in Galaxy when distance is Increased

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of Dark Matter in relation to distance measurements of galaxies. Participants explore the implications of distance estimation errors on the perceived existence of Dark Matter, considering both observational data and theoretical interpretations.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that if transformations can eliminate or create Dark Matter, it raises questions about the accuracy of distance measurements in a universe without Dark Matter.
  • One participant summarizes that Dark Matter appears when distance is reduced, attributing earlier overestimations of distance to miscalculations that led to inflated mass estimates of galaxies.
  • Another participant emphasizes that the issue is not a transformation but rather a re-analysis of data indicating that the distance to a galaxy was overestimated, which affects the mass calculations.
  • Concerns are raised about the plausibility of claiming that all other distance measurements could be wrong, with one participant dismissing this as a highly implausible claim.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express disagreement regarding the implications of distance measurements on the existence of Dark Matter. While some focus on the re-analysis of data, others propose broader implications that remain contested.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the original observations may have overestimated distances by around 50%, leading to confusion about intrinsic brightness and mass estimates. The discussion reflects uncertainty about the reliability of distance measurements and their impact on the understanding of Dark Matter.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in astrophysics, cosmology, and the ongoing debates surrounding Dark Matter and observational astronomy may find this discussion relevant.

GiftOfPlasma
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TL;DR
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?
 
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GiftOfPlasma said:
Which way does Occam's razor slice?

Towards this thread being locked soon.
 
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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.
 
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.
 

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