News Article:
Massive Galaxy Challenges Our Understanding of Cosmic Evolution
Our understanding of cosmic evolution has been called into question with the discovery of a massive galaxy that appears to lack dark matter.
Dark matter, which makes up about 85% of the matter in the universe, seems to be absent in the galaxy NGC 1277, part of the Perseus Cluster. The galaxy, located 240 million light-years from Earth, is the first known conglomeration of stars, planets, dust, and gas the size of the Milky Way that does not contain dark matter.
“These findings are inconsistent with the current accepted cosmological model, which includes dark matter,” said Sebastién Comerón, the lead researcher behind the discovery and a researcher at the University of La Laguna.
What is dark matter?
Dark matter is effectively invisible because it does not interact with light like the everyday matter that makes up stars, planets, and us. Its presence can be inferred through its gravitational interactions. The existence of this shadowy substance was first proposed when astronomers observed massive galaxies rotating so fast that they would fly apart if not for the gravitational influence of an unseen mass holding them together.
This fact led scientists to theorize that all large galaxies are enveloped in a cloak of dark matter, and this became an important assumption in the development of galaxy evolution theories. However, the discovery of a seemingly dark matter-free galaxy challenges this assumption.
Examining an Anti-Social Relic Galaxy
Considered a cosmic relic, NGC 1277 is unusual among galaxies because it has little interaction with other galaxies in its vicinity. Galaxies like this are believed to be remnants of giant galaxies that existed in the early universe. Thus, these relic galaxies are crucial in helping astronomers understand how the first galaxies formed.
To aid in this investigation, Comerón and his colleagues observed the relic galaxy NGC 1277 using an instrument called an integral field spectrograph. This allowed them to map the galaxy’s motion and determine its mass and how that mass is distributed.
This revealed that the total mass distribution of NGC 1277—which should include dark matter—is the same as the distribution of its everyday matter content, namely stars, dust, gas, and planets. This means that within the radius of the galaxy, there should be no more than 5% dark matter, but this finding is more consistent with the absence of dark matter altogether in NGC 1277.
This is surprising because the preferred current model of cosmic evolution, including the standard cosmological model, suggests that NGC 1277 should consist of between 10% and 70% dark matter.
“The discrepancy between the observations and what we expected is a puzzle, and even a challenge to the standard model,” said team member and researcher at the University of La Laguna, Ignacio Trujillo.
Where Did the Relic Galaxy’s Dark Matter Go?
The scientists behind this discovery have some ideas about why NGC 1277 is so devoid of dark matter.
“One possibility is that gravitational interactions with the surrounding medium in the galaxy cluster where this galaxy resides have stripped away the dark matter,” said team member and researcher at the University of La Laguna, Anna Ferré-Mateu. “Another is that dark matter was ejected from the system when the galaxy formed through the merging of protogalactic fragments, giving rise to the relic galaxy.”
The team is not entirely satisfied with these explanations and will continue to investigate NGC 1277 using the William Herschel Telescope (WHT) at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the Canary Island of La Palma.
If future investigations confirm that this relic galaxy lacks the most mysterious substance in the universe, scientists believe it will not challenge the existence of dark matter altogether. Instead, the team believes it will challenge alternatives to the dark matter model, such as modified gravity theories.
“While dark matter may be missing in certain galaxies, modified gravity laws must be universal; there are no exceptions,” said Trujillo. “So, galaxies without dark matter are a refutation of this kind of alternative dark matter.”
However, conclusive answers will have to wait, said Comerón. “The puzzle of how massive galaxies can form without dark matter remains a mystery,” concluded the scientist.
The research by this team was published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.Title: Discovery of Massive Galaxy Without Dark Matter Challenges Cosmic Evolution
Subtitle: NGC 1277, a galaxy in the Perseus Cluster, appears to lack dark matter, raising questions about our understanding of cosmic evolution.
Date: July 25, 2023
Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery that challenges our current understanding of cosmic evolution. NGC 1277, a massive galaxy located 240 million light-years away from Earth, seems to be devoid of dark matter, which constitutes about 85% of the matter in the universe.
“This finding is inconsistent with the current accepted cosmological model, which includes dark matter,” said Sebastién Comerón, the lead researcher from the University of La Laguna.
Dark matter is invisible and does not interact with light like ordinary matter, such as stars, planets, and gas. Its presence is inferred through its gravitational interactions. The existence of this elusive substance was first proposed when astronomers observed massive galaxies rotating so rapidly that they would fly apart if not for the gravitational influence of unseen mass holding them together.
This led scientists to theorize that all large galaxies are enveloped in a dark matter halo, which became an essential assumption in the development of galaxy evolution theories. However, the discovery of a seemingly dark matter-free galaxy challenges this assumption.
NGC 1277, considered a cosmic relic, stands out among galaxies due to its minimal interaction with other galaxies in its vicinity. Such galaxies are believed to be remnants of giant galaxies that existed in the early universe, making them crucial in understanding the formation of the first galaxies.
To investigate further, Comerón and his team observed the relic galaxy NGC 1277 using an instrument called an integral field spectrograph. This allowed them to map the galaxy’s motion and determine its mass and mass distribution.
The observations revealed that the total mass distribution of NGC 1277, which should include dark matter, is consistent with the distribution of its ordinary matter content, such as stars, gas, dust, and planets. This implies that there should be no dark matter larger than 5% within the galaxy’s radius, but the findings suggest the absence of dark matter altogether in NGC 1277.
This discovery is surprising because the preferred models of cosmic evolution, including the standard cosmological model, suggest that NGC 1277 should consist of between 10% and 70% dark matter.
“The discrepancy between the observations and what we expected is a puzzle and may even challenge the standard model,” said Ignacio Trujillo, a researcher from the University of La Laguna.
Scientists behind this revelation have proposed several ideas to explain why NGC 1277 lacks dark matter. One possibility is that gravitational interactions with the surrounding medium in the galaxy cluster where NGC 1277 resides have stripped away the dark matter. Another hypothesis is that dark matter was expelled from the system during the galaxy’s formation through the merging of protogalactic fragments, giving rise to the relic galaxy.
The team is not entirely satisfied with these explanations and plans to continue investigating NGC 1277 using the William Herschel Telescope (WHT) at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in La Palma, Canary Islands.
If future investigations confirm that this relic galaxy indeed lacks the most mysterious form of matter in the universe, scientists believe it will not challenge the existence of dark matter altogether. Instead, they suggest it will challenge alternative models to dark matter, such as modified gravity theories.
“While dark matter may be absent in certain galaxies, modified gravity laws should be universal; there should be no exceptions,” Trujillo explained. “So, galaxies without dark matter are a contradiction to this alternative dark matter theory.”
However, conclusive answers will have to wait, according to Comerón. “The puzzle of how massive galaxies can form without dark matter remains a mystery,” concluded the scientist.
The team’s research has been published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.
What are the possible explanations for the absence of dark matter in NGC 1277?
Revailing cosmic evolution model predicts that NGC 1277 should contain between 10% and 70% dark matter.
The researchers propose a few possible explanations for the lack of dark matter in NGC 1277. One possibility is that gravitational interactions with the surrounding galaxy cluster stripped away the dark matter. Another possibility is that dark matter was expelled from the system during the galaxy’s formation through the merging of protogalactic fragments.
However, the team acknowledges that these explanations are not entirely satisfying and that further investigation is needed. They plan to continue studying NGC 1277 using the William Herschel Telescope at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory.
While the absence of dark matter in NGC 1277 may challenge alternative theories to the dark matter model, the researchers believe it does not challenge the existence of dark matter altogether. They state that modified gravity laws must be universal, and galaxies without dark matter would refute this type of alternative dark matter.
In conclusion, the discovery of NGC 1277 lacking dark matter raises significant questions about our understanding of cosmic evolution. Further research and observations are needed to unravel the mystery of how massive galaxies can form without dark matter.
This article throws a fascinating twist in our understanding of cosmic evolution by shedding light on a dark matter-free galaxy. It challenges our current knowledge and opens up new realms of exploration to unravel the mystery behind this phenomenon. Truly mind-boggling!