Gocha!
Scientists have long assumed that about 40 percent of the visible matter in the universe – everything we can see and touch – is missing, something that has never been discovered.
Now, a team of researchers from France’s National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) says it has finally been found – hidden in the scattered fibers of the vast, galaxy-connecting cosmic web. The research was published in the journal Friday Astronomy and Astrophysics, Scientists reveal missing item after taking a new look at 20-year-old ile of data.
Hidden web
CNRS The gas fibers that make up the cosmic web are supposed to connect to the galaxy’s network rather than obscure anything in the universe, according to a press release from Sometimes they also serve as a source of fresh material for nearby galaxies or black holes, making the web more threadbare and dizzy.
French researchers point out that this is because these cosmic web filaments are so widespread, and the signals they give are so weak that they could not be traced for 20 years, even though all the data were in plain view.
Fresh eyes
To find 40 percent of the visible matter in the universe, CNRS researchers took a look at the X-ray emission of filaments, which revealed the physical arrangement of 15,000 filaments.
Through that X-ray analysis, the team was able to confirm that the filaments contained large amounts of pre-ignited hot gases – a huge fraction of the universe’s matter hidden from plain sight.
read more: Discovered the hidden thing of the universe? [CNRS]
More on the Cosmic Web: Here’s a first-ever pick of the “Cosmic Web” that connects all the galaxies.
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