Quasars are among the earliest objects in the Universe. Are they creators or destroyers of galaxies?
Quasars represent a stage in a galaxy’s life during which large volumes of matter spiral toward a central supermassive black hole, releasing enormous amounts of energy. During this stage, the galactic core shines brighter than anything else in the universe, often outshining the rest of its host galaxy by hundreds or thousands of times. Quasars are the extremely bright centers of galaxies, powered by actively fueled supermassive black holes. Studying these objects can help researchers understand how black holes evolve throughout the modern Universe. However, by attracting gas and dust, these black holes release so much energy that they can outshine entire host galaxies, making them difficult to study.
In 2024-2026, a theory of dark matter accumulation in the center of our Galaxy was developed
New models show that stars can exist using only dark matter as fuel, and because there is an extremely large amount of dark matter near the Galactic Center, these stars become immortal.
The search for dark matter in our Milky Way galaxy is the most challenging task in modern physics
Stars have been observed crawling along the outskirts of the Milky Way more slowly than expected—a slow motion that scientists say can only be explained if our map of galaxies containing dark matter is incorrect. The specific velocities of stars at the edges of these galaxies have historically been irrefutable evidence of the presence of dark matter in galaxies. This is because astronomers can measure a galaxy’s “rotation curve,” which plots the orbital velocities of stars against their distance from the galactic center.
Dark matter and the cosmic web connect galaxies like city superhighways
Giant filaments crisscross the universe, connecting galaxy clusters like superhighways between cities. Their shape and structure contain vital information about the universe’s contents and history. However, their complex shape makes them extremely difficult to measure. Now, researchers have presented a new method for measuring the mass of these filaments, which could be used to unlock the secrets of dark matter and dark energy.
The composition and structure of dark matter: theories and mysteries
According to the research team, their results also allow them to more accurately determine what proportion of the energy and matter in the Universe is dark energy. They reached their conclusions after analyzing observations of galaxy clusters made by the eROSITA X-ray telescope, which scans the entire sky above Earth in search of detectable galaxy clusters. eROSITA is mounted on Spektr-RG, a Russian-German space telescope launched into Earth orbit in 2019.
Two Theories About the Relationship Between Dark Matter and Black Holes
Tiny black holes that formed seconds after the birth of the universe may be around longer than expected, leading researchers to believe that primordial black holes could be the source of dark matter, the most mysterious substance in the universe.
Dark matter in galaxies may be weakened or absent altogether
The standard view of cosmic evolution may be challenged by the discovery of a huge galaxy that appears to lack dark matter. Dark matter, which makes up about 85% of the matter in the universe, is missing from NGC 1277, a galaxy in the Perseus galaxy cluster. The galaxy, located 240 million light-years from Earth, is the first Milky Way-sized cluster of stars, planets, dust, and gas to be found to lack dark matter.
Evolution of dark matter and the rotation of the Universe
The standard model of cosmology – our leading theory of cosmic evolution – suggests that dark energy is constant throughout the universe and over time, making it a fundamental property of space. If it were constant, the mysterious dark energy, which makes up as much as 70 percent of the universe, would push away all stars and galaxies. However, the most comprehensive survey of the universe’s cosmic history suggests that dark energy, also known as the hypothetical “antigravity” force, may evolve over time rather than remain constant, pointing to a less lonely future for the universe’s inhabitants.
The concept of “Einstein ring” and its connection with dark matte
An Einstein ring is an extremely rare type of gravitationally lensed object, first predicted by Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. Gravitational lensing occurs when the immense gravity of a massive foreground object, such as a galaxy cluster or a black hole, bends spacetime around it; light emitted by more distant objects, such as galaxies or supernovae, passing through this curved spacetime also appears curved from our perspective on Earth.
Interaction of stars, galaxies and dark matter
The extreme conditions found in neutron stars make them ideal laboratories for studying physics in conditions found nowhere else in the universe. Scientists also suspect that some dead stars made of the densest material in the known universe, called neutron stars, may act as traps for dark matter particles, which collide at high speeds and annihilate each other. New research suggests that brown dwarfs, also known as failed stars, may act as gravitational traps for dark matter, forcing this exotic material to interact with each other.
ARRAKIHS dark matter satellite will be launched in 2030
The mission is planned to study the dark matter halo of 75 different galaxies – a hypothetical component of galaxies that surrounds the galactic disk and extends far beyond the visible part of the galaxy. The mass of the halo is the main component of the total mass of the galaxy, reports the European Space Agency.