NASA Announces Dark Matter Discovery

NASA ^ | Aug. 14, 2006 | Megan Watzke

[zeugma]

NASA Announces Dark Matter Discovery

Astronomers who used NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EDT Monday, Aug. 21, to announce how dark and normal matter have been forced apart in an extraordinarily energetic collision.

Reporters must call Megan Watzke at the Chandra Press Office at: 617- 496-7998 or e-mail: mwatzke@cfa.harvard.edu for participation information. Shortly before the start of the briefing, images and graphics about the research will be posted at: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2006/1e0657/

Briefing participants:
- Maxim Markevitch, astrophysicist, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Mass.
- Doug Clowe, postdoctoral fellow, University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz.
- Sean Carroll, assistant professor of physics, University of Chicago, Ill.

A video file about the discovery will air on NASA TV at noon, Aug. 21. Audio of the event will be streamed live on the Web at: http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio

For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/home

[AFreeBird]

I find your lack of faith... distrubing...

[Old Professer]

I'm still trying to figure out, "marcowise."

[MHGinTN]

Hmmm, that is troubling ... unless you take the age, musculature, and reduced dexterity of my old fingers into account. Marco ... Polo ... You're it!

[zeugma]

Interesting post. Thanks.

[Gorjus]

There is no such thing as Dark Matter or Dark Energy..

Any particular reason for this assertion? You just don't like science you don't understand? Or do you also say there are no such things as electrons and protons? (You can't really 'see' them either.)

[tomzz]

"Dark matter" is a necessary piece of baggage involved in trying to go on believing that the universe is mainly held together by gravity. In real life, the universe is mainly held together by electrical and electromagnetic forces.

[true_blue_texican]

You just don't like science you don't understand?

There is NO science involved here. Dark Matter is a mathematical conjecture to "attempt" to make up for the fact that observations (which is the PRIMARY tool of science) do NOT jive with the Big Bang Theory in ANY of the predictive models of the BB.

And, yes, I believe in protons and electrons because you can observe electrons and protons even if you can't see them.

I also deny the existence of Black Holes. Once again, they are ONLY a mathematical conjecture. The irony is that the assumption that BB is true and that BH's are possible, leads to the conclusion that the ENTIRE universe IS a black hole!! Which it is not. Of course, then you got Stephen Hawking claiming that the universe is a web of quantum-sized universes that exist inside their own BH's of universes.... It is MORE arcane that Ptolemy's epicycles. No, I have no problem with science. But Math ain't science! And a lot of Mathematicians/Cosmologists think it is, in fact, some of them worship it as a religion ala Pythagorean Mysticism.

[xcamel]

That's Lord Helmet to you....

[true_blue_texican]

I agree with your first paragraph. Dark matter and all this other malarky reminds me of the arguements of how many angels can stand on the head of a pin.

However; regarding Occam's Razor, the simplest solution is that there was NO begining to the Universe. It has been here forever and will continue forever. No Big Bang, no collapsing universe, no Big Crunch, no infinite expansion (it is ALREADY an infinite expanse!)

It has evolved forever and will continue to evolve forever. It is definitely LOTS of energy, particles, collisions of particles, collisions of wave-fronts, electricity and magnetism leading to great electrical generators etc.

Read the "The Big Bang Never Happened" by Eric Lerner. Very informative.

[true_blue_texican]

"Dark matter" is a necessary piece of baggage involved in trying to go on believing that the universe is mainly held together by gravity. In real life, the universe is mainly held together by electrical and electromagnetic forces.

DAMN!! That's exactly what I would have said!!

[Tiny]

"I find it interesting how quantum physicists and string theorists keep getting more and more bizarre in order to explain themselves and stopgap problems with their theories. Strange, up, down, one-handed clap, 26 dimensions, electron probabilities that include orbitals from your eye to Jupiter (or the other side of the Universe and back), virtual particles, quantum orbital....and the list goes on."

Well said. I've never bought into the dark matter solution to Astronomical discrepancies either. Always reminded the way epicycles were used for hundreds of years to "prove" the Earth centrist idea of the universe. I'm betting there will be a straight forward explanation somewhere in the future that will include normal matter, the kind you can vacuum up off the floor

[AMHN]

"...the simplest solution is that there was NO begining to the Universe..."

I wouldn't argue with the premise of your statement. It takes great faith to believe either way without any proof (regardless of what science tries to teach).

But one must try to start from a fairly easily recognizable beginning to discuss alternative theories...but the first cause, the point of beginning "is" far more vast than any expanse one measures in the visible universe.

Even a singularity is infinite somewhere

[MHGinTN]

You are using this Internet and writing your remarks BECAUSE the predictions with quantum physics work. There is a quantum field and it started expressing when dimension space and dimension time left the ground (rest) state. The quantum field is the residual state of space and time mixed sustaining a field of energy not in equilibrium. Quantum mechanics adequately predicts what matter will do, how it will interact with the quantum field, and what can be done to matter to gain use from the quantum field. It ain't magic, but if you don't have a basic understanding of how the quantum field generates the interactions as a medium for matter and forces then it must look like magic and something you don't want to believe in. But you will continue to be blessed with developments which come about because someone DOES have a fundamental understanding which allows them to predict and utilize. Enjoy, stop scoffing and enjoy!

[RinaseaofDs]

They found it in Assad's pants after those Israeli fighters overflew his compound.

[Getready]

How about this, "Let's wait till NASA rolls out its findings"
I hope it is more conclusive than its' "mars meteorite found
on earth, which had evidence of ancient life on mars" fiasco.

[HayekRocks]

If this stuff (dark matter) actually was 90% of the universe as claimed, all of us would be having to vacuum it up off our carpets daily.

How much helium do you have in your carpets?

[true_blue_texican]

stop scoffing

I believe that I was denying that the Big Bang happened, that Black Holes exist, and that Dark Matter exists. At no point did I scoff at QM. I scoffed at Stephen Hawking's web of quantum-sized universes that are connected but unknowable, unobservable, and unbelievable. Oh, wait, you have to believe they exist because it is absurd. That is not science; that is faith.

[HayekRocks]

"Dark matter" is a necessary piece of baggage involved in trying to go on believing that the universe is mainly held together by gravity. In real life, the universe is mainly held together by electrical and electromagnetic forces.

Oh I see. You know no physics. Carry on!

[MHGinTN]

Good point! I'm eagerly awaiting what I suspect will be Chandra pix of something behaving wierdly, or something comparable. This rings of 'inference', but that's okay since it can lead to predictions which will strengthen or weaken an hypothesis.

[HayekRocks]

I believe that I was denying that the Big Bang happened, that Black Holes exist, and that Dark Matter exists.

On the first item, what is your explanation for the uniform expansion of the universe, and of the cosmic microwave background? On the second, how do you explain gravitational lensing, and what do you think happens to the relativisitic field equations at very high matter densities?