Where is Black Matter?

 

Scientists are working on a dark matter experiment in space. They are hoping to unravel some of the universe’s greatest mysteries. Scientists have been puzzled about dark matter for years. It is an invisible force and makes up about 85% of all mass in the cosmos. 

 Scientists at the university of Southampton have created a theory that they claim will advance our understanding of what dark matter truly is. Testing has begun on a device that measures tiny signals. It uses a laser shining through graphite sheets, which are levitating in zero gravity.

Tim Fuchs explains that this could be the first steps to more space based experiments that may detect dark matter. He reports, “ there are a lot of theories as to what dark matter might be, but no experiment on earth has ever come close to detecting it. Dark matter remains one of the fundamental questions scientists are still trying to answer. It dictates the structure of the universe, but is still undetectable. Our experiment is unlike anything attempted before: we will be levitating graphite between magnets, which in zero gravity are incredibly sensitive to small forces. If there is a sufficiently high density of dark matter, a dark ‘wind’ will softly push our levitated particles by an amount we can measure detecting it for the first time ever.”

Dark matter was originally theorized in the 1930s. It does not emit, absorb or reflect light in any substantial way. It is undetectable by telescopes. It is recognized by scientists only because of its gravitational effects on matter we can see, explains Fuchs. “The movement of the stars and galaxies within the universe can only be explained by the gravitational influence of dark matter.” 

The new device will be launched into space aboard a new satellite. It is being developed at the Space South Central and universities of Southampton, Portsmouth and Surrey. It’s name is Jordan-1. Scientists hope to launch the satellite early next year. 

The device weighs just 1.5 kg And will orbit earth for about two years conducting tests.

Fuchs summarizes, “ There are theories that say that the dark matter interaction rate may actually be so high that it cannot penetrate our atmosphere or the mountains under which detectors have been built. This might explain why many of the major earth experiments that have been built to detect dark matter have not revealed any conclusive signals. Our mission is the first of its kind to use this levitating technology in space and we hope it will serve as a proof of principle that we can detect dark matter above earth.”