First Invisible Galaxy Discovered in Cosmology Breakthrough

SPACE.com ^ | February 23, 2005 | Robert Roy Britt

[KillTime]

Interesting, but don't understand why they call it a galaxy. A galaxy is made up of stars, but they said this dark matter galaxy object has no stars...so why call it a galaxy then?

[Reaganesque]

Interesting discovery. And all I can think of is Doug and Bob MacKenzie's comments about the dark side.

[Physicist]

I still think the dark matter is 'fudge'.

Forsooth, and the white matter is 'marshmallow'.

[lonevoice]

I knew about thse galaxies long ago, and kept pointing them out to people; but they said I was nuts.

Yeah, I imagine when one keeps pointing out the invisible, it might have that result. ;-)

[longshadow]

so why call it a galaxy then?

The most obvious reason would be that the apparent mass involved is of a magnitude that we associate with galaxies. I would also venture to guess that the theroretical formation process also gives rise to a structure that is similar to a "normal" galaxy (disk shaped with a central spherical bulge). So, it the same mass as a galaxy, and probably has the same shape as a galaxy, and we have no other word than "galaxy" to describe objects of that size and shape, so "galaxy" it is, until somebody invents a new term for it.

I hereby nominate "Phlirgoid" as the new sceintific term for a dark matter galaxy.....

[Ichneumon]

*Very* cool...

This reminds me of my younger days, when black holes were still a fascinating theoretical construct, and not known to necessarily actually exist. Then confirmations of actual black holes in various parts of the universe began to flood in, and it was so exciting to realize that such bizarre, wild things were actually *real*.

[ARCADIA]

Are they sure? Maybe they just forgot to take the lens cap off of their telescope.

Nope; it's just another Enron project gone bad.

[Yossarian]

...and it was so exciting to realize that such bizarre, wild things were actually *real*.

Yeah, those black holes are really exciting - until you're sucked into the unescapable gravity well of one of 'em.... :-/

[Focault's Pendulum]

Thanks for the ping.

[RightOnline]

"Similar objects could be very common or very rare, said Robert Minchin of Cardiff University in the UK."

Gee. Thanks for clearing that up.

[PatrickHenry]

I hereby nominate "Phlirgoid" as the new sceintific term for a dark matter galaxy.....

If you send me $10, the name of your choice will be recorded in a genuine, copyrighted book, "PatrickHenry's Official Guide to Dark Matter Names," which will filed with the Library of Congress! You will be given an official certificate, suitable for framing, to attest to your place in the history of the universe. What a keepsake for your family!

But don't delay. The supply of dark matter is limited. These objects are going fast. Name yours before they're all gone!

Bonus offer: For an extra $5, we will send you a diploma, awarding you a degree in Creation Science.

[!1776!]

Yeah, those black holes are really exciting - until you're sucked into the unescapable gravity well of one of 'em.... :-/

The cup is half full though. At the event horizon, as your time slows down, you get to see the universe unfold...

Imagine - all of your I told you so's being laid out in a fraction of a second...

I'd test the theory myself - but my schedule is full right now ;)

[Rudder]

proto-galaxies stream along the filaments (red shows medium density) and meet at nodes, causing a buildup of galaxies. Low-density areas are blue.

Neurons from entorhinal cortex (Limbic System)

Cortical pyramidal neurons from supragranular layers transfected with a plasmid that contained the green-fluorescent protein (GFP) gene coupled to a CMV promotor.

[Tanniker Smith]

I love the picture of the invisible galaxy. I have to print that out and show people. Nope, you can't see it. How do I know it's there? Well, look at the ring in the picture. The One Ring, right there. The galaxy is wearing the Ring and now it's invisible.

TS
A most precious find

[America's Resolve]

Epicycles, Phlogiston & the Ether.

Sometimes they see whatever will put the theory together, not matter how absurd.

[Rudder]

"The forces that hold a sponge, a spider web and a brain together in the shape they have are all electromagnetic," Møller said. "The structure serves a function, and it was in each case most likely the cheapest way for nature to achieve that function."

The above pictures illustrate this comment, re: the Brain vs Protogalaxies.

[GSlob]

What was seen is an inexhaustible reservoir of bogus RAT votes. These votes do possess mass (which is also bogus) and could exert serious influence, gravitational and otherwise.

[Grut]

Forsooth, and the white matter is 'marshmallow'.

And we all know what the brown stuff is! ;^)

[Shryke]

Bonus offer: For an extra $5, we will send you a diploma, awarding you a degree in Creation Science.

HARDLY humorous. That's overpriced.

[Sterco]

My cousin took cosmology at the local college and she still hasn't found a job.