Dark Matter Makes up More Than 80% of Mass in Universe
Highlights
Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Yale Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in US, analyzed energy spectrum of X - rays.
It is observed extra photons with energy of about 3500 electron volts in spectra.
While probing spectrum, researchers concluded that production of X - ray photons with particular energy level could have been result of decay of dark matter.
Background
Scientists have recorded such energy levels in past, but they were not sure that bump or line created by photons was just an instrumental artefact or something else.
As per researchers, around 80 percent mass of universe is made up of dark matter itself.
As per its name, matter is dark and cannot be seen.
However, scientists have felt its presence through gravitational tug it exerts on stars within galaxies.
For years, physicists have been trying to detect particles of dark matter directly by intercepting those using instruments on Earth.
It is this latest research that targets relatively light particles of dark matter.
About NASA՚s Chandra X - ray Observatory
Launch date: July 23,1999
Name: Advanced X - ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF)
Mission type: X - ray astronomy
It is a telescope specially designed to detect X - ray emission from very hot regions of Universe like exploded stars, clusters of galaxies, and matter around black holes.
As X - rays are absorbed by Earth՚s atmosphere, therefore Chandra is positioned above Earth՚s atmosphere up to an altitude of 139000 km in space.
Smithsonian՚s Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge controls Chandra՚s science and flight operations.