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Member Since: 4/2008Last Seen: 11/26/2009

Dark Matter May Loom Near Solar System

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A balloon-borne instrument soaring high over Antarctica has found evidence of a possible large clump of mysterious so-called dark matter relatively close to our solar system, scientists said on Wednesday.

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{"commentId":4160621,"authorDomain":"jcatom"}

Most of the people interested in this kind of stuff have probably already seen this news so, here's my question and the reason I seeded this so late...

If it is true that there is dark matter near the solar system (which would be reminiscent of a galaxy's halo of dark matter), could this be the cause of the Pioneer anomaly?

I know that dark matter and energy don't interact with normal matter, but they obviously have gravity and therefore affect the way normal matter moves through space...this is how we discovered dark matter in the first place.

So, could space be different due to the gravitational effects of dark matter in a way that would cause the Pioneer anomaly?

{"commentId":4160621,"threadId":"425379","contentId":"2137269","authorDomain":"jcatom"}
  • 4 votes
Reply#1 - Fri Nov 21, 2008 6:35 PM EST
{"commentId":4161054,"authorDomain":"japark"}

Gravitational anomalies on stellar scales is the reason to postulate dark matter.

Obviously, gravitational anomalies will be considered as possible examples of dark matter.

I think it is much more likely that our theories of gravitation just need to be changed to match the observations.

{"commentId":4161054,"threadId":"425379","contentId":"2137269","authorDomain":"japark"}
  • 3 votes
#1.1 - Fri Nov 21, 2008 7:15 PM EST
{"commentId":4161299,"authorDomain":"behindmyscreen"}

This isn't a gravitational anomaly. It is cosmic radiation emitted from a location that it not known to have a cosmic radiative source.

I still would like you to explain the kinds of changes to gravitation that can be made while including General Relativity.

{"commentId":4161299,"threadId":"425379","contentId":"2137269","authorDomain":"behindmyscreen"}
  • 3 votes
#1.2 - Fri Nov 21, 2008 7:39 PM EST
{"commentId":4161364,"authorDomain":"japark"}

Behind My Screen,

JCAtom mentioned the Pioneer anomaly and wondered if Dark Matter could be the cause. I was responding to his query, not the article's postulation of Dark Matter decay.

{"commentId":4161364,"threadId":"425379","contentId":"2137269","authorDomain":"japark"}
  • 2 votes
#1.3 - Fri Nov 21, 2008 7:46 PM EST
{"commentId":4165227,"authorDomain":"hamid"}

Thanks for the link on the Pioneer Anomaly JC. Another intriguing question from the cosmos...

{"commentId":4165227,"threadId":"425379","contentId":"2137269","authorDomain":"hamid"}
  • 3 votes
#1.4 - Sat Nov 22, 2008 8:15 AM EST
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{"commentId":4161061,"authorDomain":"rochart"}

As it is theorized, dark matter is throughout the universe, so why would it be surprizing to find some or a clump of it near us?

Who can tell if it would cause the Pioneer Anomaly or not?

It is an ok post because I'm interested and had not seen it on other astronomy sites yet.

{"commentId":4161061,"threadId":"425379","contentId":"2137269","authorDomain":"rochart"}
  • 3 votes
Reply#2 - Fri Nov 21, 2008 7:15 PM EST
{"commentId":4165203,"authorDomain":"hamid"}
25 percent of the universe is made up of dark matter
70 percent is thought to be composed of dark energy

95% of the Universe is unexplained, simultaneously scary and fascinating...

{"commentId":4165203,"threadId":"425379","contentId":"2137269","authorDomain":"hamid"}
  • 4 votes
Reply#3 - Sat Nov 22, 2008 8:11 AM EST
{"commentId":4174027,"authorDomain":"txtj1"}

i got a memeory about this check my page for the sirius 2 from the dogon,.hopis sumeritians all have this matter in their myths

http://txtj1.newsvine.com/_news/2008/11/22/2140739-orions-twin-stars-have-their-differences

{"commentId":4174027,"threadId":"425379","contentId":"2137269","authorDomain":"txtj1"}
  • 1 vote
Reply#4 - Sun Nov 23, 2008 1:39 AM EST
{"commentId":4177434,"authorDomain":"poopdeck"}

"dark matter" a term used to describe a physical entity that makes up most of the universe, but is totally, undescribably absent in every physics textbook ever published, one of the most prominent question marks in the "educated" academic world.....

{"commentId":4177434,"threadId":"425379","contentId":"2137269","authorDomain":"poopdeck"}
  • 1 vote
Reply#5 - Sun Nov 23, 2008 1:54 PM EST
{"commentId":4177694,"authorDomain":"behindmyscreen"}

What text books? Highschool and undergrad into classes? Absolutly. Dark Matter has no place in a course designed to teach Newtonian physics.

What is your problem then?

{"commentId":4177694,"threadId":"425379","contentId":"2137269","authorDomain":"behindmyscreen"}
  • 2 votes
#5.1 - Sun Nov 23, 2008 2:24 PM EST
{"commentId":4193666,"authorDomain":"ProgrammerDude"}

Yeah... For "Dark Matter" just substitute "something weird, but we have no idea what it is, so we called it 'dark matter'."

What I wanna know is what's 3000 ly out that caused DM to clump around it.

I'm running late, so I didn't read these, but here's a couple links:

Mysterious electrons may be sign of dark matter

An excess of cosmic ray electrons at energies of 300–800 GeV

That last one I found as a link to "the original article" but I'm not sure it is.

{"commentId":4193666,"threadId":"425379","contentId":"2137269","authorDomain":"ProgrammerDude"}
  • 2 votes
#5.2 - Mon Nov 24, 2008 11:28 PM EST
{"commentId":4199205,"authorDomain":"behindmyscreen"}

The center of gravity of the mass.

{"commentId":4199205,"threadId":"425379","contentId":"2137269","authorDomain":"behindmyscreen"}
  • 1 vote
#5.3 - Tue Nov 25, 2008 12:55 PM EST
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