- NASA and partners created the most detailed dark matter map using JWST data and past findings
- The map reveals dark matter's web-like structure shaping galaxies and galaxy clusters
- Dark matter and regular matter overlap, growing together across the universe's evolution
A mysterious type of matter that holds galaxies together is called dark matter. Now, the NASA scientists used new data from Jams Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and previous findings to come up with the most detailed map of dark matter to date. The map has revealed its intricate influence on the universe's structure.
The study, published in Nature Astronomy on January 26, showcases the dark matter's overlap with regular matter, highlighting its role in shaping galaxies and galaxy clusters. Durham University, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland collaborated in the study.
The image above is basically a picture of nearly 800,000 galaxies, overlaid with a map of dark matter, represented in blue. According to NASA, the researchers used Webb data to find the invisible substance through its gravitational influence on regular matter.
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"This is the largest dark matter map we've made with Webb, and it's twice as sharp as any dark matter map made by other observatories," Diana Scognamiglio, lead author of the paper, said as quoted by NASA. She is also an astrophysicist at NASA's JPL in Southern California.
"Previously, we were looking at a blurry picture of dark matter. Now we're seeing the invisible scaffolding of the universe in stunning detail, thanks to Webb's incredible resolution," Scognamiglio added.
The map shows dark matter's web-like structure, with dense knots around galaxy clusters and thinner strands connecting them. It is assumed that dark matter's gravity likely drove gas and dust towards it, creating conditions for galaxy formation.
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"Wherever we see a big cluster of thousands of galaxies, we also see an equally massive amount of dark matter in the same place. And when we see a thin string of regular matter connecting two of those clusters, we see a string of dark matter as well," Richard Massey, an astrophysicist at Durham University in the United Kingdom, said as quoted.
"It's not just that they have the same shapes. This map shows us that dark matter and regular matter have always been in the same place. They grew up together."
Dark matter remains mysterious, but its influence on the universe is undeniable, with this map providing insights into the universe's evolution, tracing dark matter's influence back to when galaxies were forming most actively.
The map strengthens the case for dark matter's role in shaping the universe's structure. "This map provides stronger evidence that without dark matter, we might not have the elements in our galaxy that allowed life to appear," said Rhodes.
"Dark matter is not something we encounter in our everyday life on Earth, or even in our solar system, but it has definitely influenced us."
