Physics & Math, features and articles | Educational Science

Sep 18, 2023

Astronomers measure dark matter 'haloes' around hundreds of ancient black holes for 1st time

A team of astronomers has, for the first time, weighed dark matter haloes surrounding actively feeding supermassive black holes in the bright hearts of ancient galaxies. These black hole-powered hearts, or quasars, are often brighter than the combined light of every star in the galaxies around them. These super luminous...

Sep 19, 2023

Our entire galaxy is warping, and a gigantic blob of dark matter could be to blame

A gigantic blob of invisible dark matter has bent our galaxy out of shape, a new study suggests. Scientists initially believed that the Milky Way was a flat disk dominated by two spiral arms trailing stars from a central bar, but measurements taken since the mid-20th century reveal that it's...

Oct 12, 2023

ESA scientists finally resolve glitch that caused Euclid spacecraft to 'doodle' through space

The European Space Agency's (ESA) dark universe detective, the Euclid spacecraft, is on track after locating its guiding stars, which it lost as a result of cosmic misidentification. The satellite can now begin investigating dark matter and dark energy, which are some of the greatest mysteries in cosmology. Dark matter...

Nov 7, 2023

1st images from the Euclid 'dark universe' telescope are here — and they're jaw-dropping

The first images from the Euclid space telescope have been revealed, and they are stunning. The European Space Agency (ESA) telescope, which launched on July 1 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, is designed to explore the composition and evolution of the dark universe — the collective name given to...

Nov 29, 2023

Large Hadron Collider could be generating dark matter in its particle jets

A new search for dark matter has turned up empty handed — but, in a silver lining, the effort provided important limits that will help future experiments narrow down the hunt for this elusive substance. Most astronomers believe that dark matter accounts for 85 percent of all mass in the...

Dec 26, 2023

Millions of invisible 'mirror stars' could exist in the Milky Way, and astronomers know how to find them

There may be an invisible universe of stars, nebulas and galaxies made up entirely of dark matter. And astronomers now know how to look for it. To put it simply, dark matter is a mystery. Astronomers have dozens of independent pieces of evidence that all point to the existence of...

Aug 13, 2010

New Telescope Would Search Planets, Probe Dark Energy

A $1.6-billion space telescope that could reveal the nature of dark energy and identify Earth-like planets should be the top priority for astronomers and astrophysicists, according to a long-awaited report that lays out the pressing needs for the next 10 years of space science. The Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST)...

Aug 19, 2010

Dark Energy Mystery Illuminated By Cosmic Lens

By peering at the distant reaches of the universe through a galactic magnifying lens, astronomers may have found a way to better understand mysterious dark energy, which is thought to be speeding up the expansion of the cosmos. Though scientists don't know what dark energy is — nor have they...

Nov 12, 2010

Chubby Galaxy Cluster Suggests Dark Energy Stronger Long Ago

Astronomers have created a new, incredibly detailed map of dark matter by using the Hubble Space Telescope to peer through a huge cluster of galaxies as if it were a cosmic magnifying glass. Though invisible, dark matter makes its presence known through its gravitational tug on normal stuff. Scientists now...

Jan 11, 2011

Quest for Dark Energy Grows Brighter with Special Camera

A special camera on a South American telescope aims to search for elusive dark energy, a force that may be pulling the universe apart at the seams. The so-called Dark Energy Survey, using a 570-megapixel Dark Energy Camera that will be mounted on the 4-meter (158-inch) telescope at the National...

Mar 15, 2011

Bizarre Dark Energy Theory Gets Boost From New Measurements

New measurements of the expansion rate of the universe lend new support for the theory of dark energy that suggests a mysterious force is pulling the cosmos apart at ever-increasing speeds. Scientists have few ideas why such a force would exist, but the evidence for dark energy – which like...

Oct 5, 2011

European Space Missions Target the Sun, Dark Energy

Europe's next two space science missions will investigate solar activity and the nature of the mysterious dark energy that is accelerating the universe's expansion, European Space Agency (ESA) officials announced today (Oct. 4). The two missions, called Solar Orbiter and Euclid, are due to launch in 2017 and 2019, respectively....

Dec 8, 2011

Nobel Winners Keep Eyes on the Real Prize: Solving Dark Energy Riddle

The three scientists who won this year's Nobel Prize in physics are certainly not resting on their laurels. The trio of astrophysicists will receive their prizes at a ceremony in Stockholm on Saturday (Dec. 10) for the groundbreaking discovery of the accelerated expansion of the universe. But the researchers are...

Apr 2, 2012

New Map of Distant Galaxies May Reveal Dark Energy History

Dark energy, the weird force blamed for propelling the universe to expand at an accelerated speed, probably turned on between 5 and 7 billion years ago, scientists think. Now astronomers have mapped thousands of galaxies from this era, and have determined the most precise distances to them yet, in an...

Apr 3, 2012

Dark Energy Search Needs Research Funding Boost, Nobel Winners Say

ATLANTA — Solving the cosmic riddle of dark energy will require scientific creativity and funding for fundamental research, Nobel Prize-winning scientists said Monday (April 2). In this era of tightening budgets and an emphasis on how science can help society, it's important to invest in basic research that doesn't have...