Scientists may have finally caught their first glimpse of dark matter, a mysterious substance that makes up 27% of the universe's mass-energy budget. The discovery, made by Japanese astrophysicist Tomonori Totani, claims to provide direct evidence for the existence of this invisible entity.
Totani analyzed data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and spotted a pattern of gamma rays that matched the shape of dark matter halos surrounding galaxies. If true, this finding would mark a major breakthrough in understanding one of the most enduring unsolved puzzles in astrophysics.
Dark matter was first proposed by Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky in the 1930s, after he observed that distant galaxies were spinning faster than their visible mass could account for. Since then, scientists have searched for dark matter particles using a variety of methods, including ground-based detectors and space-based telescopes, but so far have come up empty-handed.
One popular theory suggests that dark matter is composed of weakly interacting massive particles (wimps), which are heavier than protons but interact very little with normal matter. When two wimps collide, they can annihilate each other, releasing gamma rays in the process. Totani's discovery appears to be consistent with this prediction.
However, experts caution that more work is needed to confirm the finding and rule out alternative explanations for the signal. Justin Read, an astrophysicist at the University of Surrey, noted that similar signals have not been detected from other regions of space, such as dwarf galaxies. Kinwah Wu, a theoretical astrophysicist at UCL, urged caution, saying that while Totani's analysis is encouraging, it is still too early to declare a major breakthrough.
If Totani's finding is confirmed, it would have significant implications for our understanding of the universe and the nature of dark matter. The discovery of this elusive substance could finally help explain why galaxies rotate faster than they should, and potentially shed light on some of the biggest mysteries in modern astrophysics.
Totani analyzed data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and spotted a pattern of gamma rays that matched the shape of dark matter halos surrounding galaxies. If true, this finding would mark a major breakthrough in understanding one of the most enduring unsolved puzzles in astrophysics.
Dark matter was first proposed by Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky in the 1930s, after he observed that distant galaxies were spinning faster than their visible mass could account for. Since then, scientists have searched for dark matter particles using a variety of methods, including ground-based detectors and space-based telescopes, but so far have come up empty-handed.
One popular theory suggests that dark matter is composed of weakly interacting massive particles (wimps), which are heavier than protons but interact very little with normal matter. When two wimps collide, they can annihilate each other, releasing gamma rays in the process. Totani's discovery appears to be consistent with this prediction.
However, experts caution that more work is needed to confirm the finding and rule out alternative explanations for the signal. Justin Read, an astrophysicist at the University of Surrey, noted that similar signals have not been detected from other regions of space, such as dwarf galaxies. Kinwah Wu, a theoretical astrophysicist at UCL, urged caution, saying that while Totani's analysis is encouraging, it is still too early to declare a major breakthrough.
If Totani's finding is confirmed, it would have significant implications for our understanding of the universe and the nature of dark matter. The discovery of this elusive substance could finally help explain why galaxies rotate faster than they should, and potentially shed light on some of the biggest mysteries in modern astrophysics.
Dark matter has been a total mystery for ages! 27% of the universe's mass-energy budget is just lying in wait for us to find out what it's made of 
I'm hyped that Tomonori Totani might have finally caught a glimpse of this invisible entity 
. If he's right, it would be a major breakthrough in understanding dark matter and galaxies rotating faster than they should 
. The wimp theory is still the best bet 
, but we need to see more work done to confirm this finding 
. Let's keep following Totani's research and hope that we'll soon uncover the secrets of dark matter 
!
so scientists think they've actually found dark matter lol like 27% of the universe's mass-energy budget is still a mystery... i mean i've seen some crazy stuff in my time online but this takes the cake ... totani analyzed data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and spotted this pattern that matches dark matter halos surrounding galaxies if true this would be MASSIVE news like for real we'd finally have an answer to what's been driving galaxies to spin so fast . BUT, experts are all like "hold up let's not get ahead of ourselves" 
but at the same time, like, how can we be so sure it's not just a glitch or something? 
. The idea that dark matter might be composed of wimps is actually pretty cool 
. But, like, we need more evidence to back it up, you know? 
this is huge!! i cant believe scientists might have actually found dark matter 
like whats the alternative explanation 
and learn more about our universe 
. all these years and scientists have been trying to prove the existence of dark matter and it's about time someone finally cracks the code