A new strange UFO-like galaxy has been found by the W. M. Keck Observatory and the Gemini North telescope. The researchers have been observing the galaxy for some time now and what they have found is truly remarkable. What we understand about how a universe is created has been challenged by the discovery. The researchers have made some progress since the initial discovery that has the science world asking new questions about the ever mysterious dark matter. We have a theoretical formula for calculating dark matter in a universe, and this one is very strange.
What exactly have they found in Dragonfly 44?
There are a few things we have been able to observe regarding the creation of a galaxy since the advancement and innovation in the space race. The Webb telescope has given us a whole new view of space and time from the earliest viewpoints of the big bang. The Keck Observatory in Hawaii is the most advanced of its kind on earth. Innovation is in our bones it would seem.
The first of the Keck telescopes began operations in May 1993. They got their first light in 1996 and the world would never look at the night sky the same. Our understanding of the universe and nearest galaxies has changed tremendously since those days. SInce then, the Keck Observatory in Hawaii has been the place to be if you wanted to be on the forefront of astrophysics.
The new galaxy they have found has been named Dragonfly 44 and is made up of 99.9% dark matter. That is, the light matter that exists allows the researchers to calculate the amount of dark matter in a galaxy. Dragonfly 44 consists almost entirely of dark matter, something that the scientific world knows nearly nothing about. So the scientist at the Keck Observatory had to study more.
What exactly is dark matter and why is it so important?
To calculate the amount of dark matter in Dragonfly 44, the researchers had to use to an instrument to measure the velocities of stars for six nights so they could determine the galaxy’s mass. Once they had that information they could calculate the dark matter found in Dragonfly 44. What they found was that Dragonfly 44 had a hundred times less stars than the Milky Way. A dark place indeed.
The researchers responsible for the study has stated that the point is to get a better understanding of dark matter as we know so little about it. A new group of researchers have continued with the research and have found their own set of results. The data coming from the mysterious galaxy far, far away has huge implications on the study of dark matter and in turn the study of space.
Dragonfly 44 is part of a coma of clusters that have a lot of stars in them. The sheer size of the universe is hard for us to even comprehend, however with the new information coming from the best observatory in the world, the study of dark matter has become a more reasonable attempt to understand the universe around us. What they find next has the world speculating.
How far are we from humans exploring the universe?
With the recent venture by a certain businessman of sending a bunch of women into space for 10 minutes as part of some odd marketing scheme, the public has been forced to ask, how far are we from actual human beings going off into the night sky and never returning? The innovation happening on earth is impressive and promising. Is it enough to power us into the stars? Could we eventually go to Dragonfly 44 and see for ourselves? The world is moving ever closer to the dream colonizing another planet, according to some.