Recent research has spotted a concealed “dark object” residing inside a radiant radio segment (red and yellow) of a far-off Einstein ring (black).(Image credit: Keck/EVN/GBT/VLBA)
Cosmic observers have located an astonishingly tiny “dark object” concealed within a faraway ring of distorted light. This groundbreaking finding may illuminate the enigmatic nature of dark matter, which could have major effects on the field of cosmology.
The secreted entity, most likely a concentration of unseen dark matter, was noticed within B1938+666 — an “Einstein ring” situated about 10 billion light-years distant from our planet. This bright halo (which appears shadowy in the black-and-white pictures) consists of light emanating from a remote galaxy that has been arched around a closer foreground galaxy (the dark point located at the ring’s core). This results from gravitational lensing, a happening that was initially suggested by Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity back in 1915.
You may like
-
James Webb telescope may have observed controversial ‘dark stars’ in the far reaches of the cosmos
-
Astronomers employ unique ‘double zoom’ technique to examine a black hole corona with remarkable precision
-
Researchers may have detected a potent novel space object: ‘It defies categorization into any known type’
B1938+666 was discovered during the 1990s. Nevertheless, in a pair of fresh investigations, released on Oct. 9 in the journals Nature Astronomy and Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, scientists scrutinized the gravitationally lensed object and noticed a minor wavering within a prominent arc of radio signals within the outer ring (displayed as red and yellow in the image). They soon understood this was a gravitational anomaly triggered by a concealed entity.
“From the initial high-resolution image, we instantly detected a constriction within the gravitational arc, which serves as a clear signal that we were onto something significant,” stated John McKean, an astronomer from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and the University of Pretoria in South Africa, and co-author of the two new investigations, via a statement. “Only another small mass concentration between ourselves and the distant radio galaxy is able to create this effect.”
The scientists managed to identify a delicate gravitational disruption within the Einstein ring by examining the object using several radio telescopes.
The object has around 1 million times the mass of our sun, which sounds like a significant quantity. Nevertheless, this essentially renders it about 100 times smaller contrasted to the preceding record holder for the least-massive entity ever spotted by gravitational lensing.
The examining teams uncovered this entity by aggregating information derived from radio observatories dispersed across the globe, which included the Green Bank Telescope found in West Virginia, the Very Long Baseline Array located in New Mexico, and the European Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network. This enabled the scientists to attain the equivalent observational capability of a telescope matching Earth in size, which aided them in detecting such a subtle variance within the data. However, the extent of data was such that researchers were prompted to develop a novel approach for categorizing it.
“The data volume and intricacy forced us to create new computational methodologies to simulate them,” stated Simona Vegetti, a scholar at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics within Germany and co-author to both new investigations, via the declaration. “This was not easy because it had never occurred before.”
Even though they cannot guarantee it, the scholars hold a firm conviction that the novel entity represents a compact cluster of dark matter — the elusive matter comprising 27% of the acknowledged cosmos which lacks interaction with light. That is anticipated, given that gravitational lensing remains among the scant mechanisms by which we can detect and measure dark matter, positioning Einstein rings alongside other distorted entities as one of our greatest assets to discover its real properties.
B1938+666 was originally spotted in the 1990s. These primary images of the Einstein ring were documented by the Hubble Space Telescope (left) and the Pan-STARRS survey (right).
Locating isolated dark matter clusters such as this is extremely useful in evaluating the “cold dark matter theory,” which puts forward that dark matter can only cluster together on the condition that it travels at relatively reduced velocities, which indicates it would radiate comparatively minimal amounts of energy, as accounted by Live Science’s affiliated platform Space.com.
And the scholars anticipate that these clusters are considerably more prevalent than our current understanding suggests. “We project that each galaxy, inclusive of our own Milky Way, exists replete with dark matter clusters, although finding these and assuring the group they exist necessitates significant number-crunching,” clarified Vegetti.
RELATED STORIES
—Spectacularly flawless ‘Einstein ring’ captured by the James Webb telescope is the most distant gravitationally lensed object ever noted
—James Webb telescope observes sparkling ‘Einstein ring’ composed of twisted quasar light
—Euclid telescope detects infrequent ‘Einstein ring’ concealed close to Earth — along with an age-old, anonymous galaxy in the background
To date, solely three further correspondingly minute, prospective dark matter clusters have been recognized, according to the scientists. However, this novel methodology will streamline spotting additional clusters encircling prevailing Einstein rings, while the quantity of renowned rings equally surges quickly, courtesy of the James Webb Space Telescope, which has evidenced an outstanding aptitude for locating them.
“Possessing found one, the subsequent question lies on our capacity to find further,” communicated Devon Powell, an astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics and co-author of the two recent investigations, via a declaration.
Harry BakerSocial Links NavigationSenior Staff Writer
Harry is a senior staff writer based in the U.K. working at Live Science. He examined marine biology at the University of Exeter ahead of acquiring journalism training. He is engaged in a vast collection of topics, notably space exploration, planetary science, space weather, climate shifts, animal behavior, and paleontology. His up-to-date piece related to the solar maximum gained “best space submission” in the 2024 Aerospace Media Awards and qualified as a nominee for the “top scoop” division in the NCTJ Awards for Excellence during 2023. He as well drafts the Earth from space range each week on Live Science.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
LogoutRead more
James Webb telescope could have spotted controversial ‘dark stars’ in the far universe
Astronomers use rare ‘double zoom’ to view black hole corona in unprecedented detail
Scientists may have found a powerful new space object: ‘It doesn’t fit comfortably into any known category’
Scientists capture bridge of stray stars being sucked from one galaxy to another
Astronomers spot the most powerful and distant ‘odd radio circle’ ever seen
The James Webb telescope may have discovered a brand new class of cosmic object: the black hole star
Latest in Cosmology
James Webb telescope could have spotted controversial ‘dark stars’ in the far universe
The universe’s first magnetic fields were ‘comparable’ to the human brain — and still linger within the ‘cosmic web’
Sourse: www.livescience.com
