Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Earth Might Have Hairy Dark Matter

nasa.gov

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 118 posts

Re: Earth Might Have Hairy Dark Matter

#11

Post by hliyan »

I find this fascinating, but still purely hypothetical, yes? Basically:

IF the observed expansion of the universe is indeed due to dark matter as we think of it, and

IF such dark matter exist as streams, and

IF such streams mix with ordinary galaxies, and

IF the solar system is passing through such a stream

THEN Earth MAY have dark matter filaments in its vicinity.

IF we locate such a filament and send a probe, we might be able to learn about dark matter directly.

Fingers crossed. That would be an amazing discovery.

Re: Earth Might Have Hairy Dark Matter

#12

Post by hliyan »

golergka wrote: post #5

This seems like something straight out of SciFi. Dark matter actually forming invisible rods that go through the Earth? Can we interact with these "hairs" if they are all around us? Can we at least detect it? It seems that all question I and any non-specialist can ask are stupid and irrelevant, but it's still so exciting to think of all the possibilities.

As I understand, we can detect them through their gravitational effects and not much else. If we fully account for the pulls of all the non-dark bodies in the vicinity (Earth, Sun, Moon) and then manage to measure an anomalous gravitational pull (say on a mass connected to an extremely fine sensor) that changes with the motion of the measuring apparatus, that (I think) ought to do it.

Disclaimer: not physicist.

Re: Earth Might Have Hairy Dark Matter

#13

Post by fengwick3 »

golergka wrote: post #4
deanCommie wrote: post #3

The edge of human understanding of the universe is a vague and scary place. When we dug deep below the atom level everything we took for granted fell apart. We had to invent an entirely new model of physics to make sense of our observations, which is complex and counter-intuitive (quantum mechanics) Would it be reasonable to assume that the same applies at the opposite end of the spectrum: from the sub-atomic to the…

> Would it be reasonable to assume that the same applies at the opposite end of the spectrum: from the sub-atomic to the super-galactical? Isn't special relativity complex and counter-intuitive enough?

I don't think special relativity is quite on the same level of strangeness (no pun intended) of quantum physics. For one, the axioms of special relativity are actually pretty believable, not to mention the incredible elegance of its integration with classical electromagnetism.

Re: Earth Might Have Hairy Dark Matter

#14

Post by berntb »

hliyan wrote: post #11

I find this fascinating, but still purely hypothetical, yes? Basically: IF the observed expansion of the universe is indeed due to dark matter as we think of it, and IF such dark matter exist as streams, and IF such streams mix with ordinary galaxies, and IF the solar system is passing through such a stream THEN Earth MAY have dark matter filaments in its vicinity. IF we locate such a filament and send a probe, we mi…

You are mixing up dark matter and dark energy. The main effect of dark matter is not universal expansion, it is from both influences of gravity on galaxies and theory.

See e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_matter#Observational_evid...

Re: Earth Might Have Hairy Dark Matter

#15

Post by jon_smark »

hliyan wrote: post #11

I find this fascinating, but still purely hypothetical, yes? Basically: IF the observed expansion of the universe is indeed due to dark matter as we think of it, and IF such dark matter exist as streams, and IF such streams mix with ordinary galaxies, and IF the solar system is passing through such a stream THEN Earth MAY have dark matter filaments in its vicinity. IF we locate such a filament and send a probe, we mi…

> IF the observed expansion of the universe is indeed due to dark matter as we think of it, and

The accelerating expansion of the universe is thought to be caused by dark energy, not dark matter.

Re: Earth Might Have Hairy Dark Matter

#16

Post by k8tte »

danbruc wrote: post #9
k8tte wrote: post #7

All this "dark matter might be here and there" articles makes me feel they are missing the point. The article even fails to mention electromagnetism, which together with gravity causes matter to collapse on itself, causing black holes, which is the gravitational core of every galaxy. Electromaginetic fields has also been dictating the galaxy cluster structures (aka "mega structures" that has emerged since the hypothe…

Essentially the defining property of dark matter is that it does not interact electromagnetically, so there is no point to consider it.

I think you misunderstood me. I am saying the electromagnetic force can be fit the bill where we currently are trying to squeeze in "dark matter". Please be aware that we have not discovered dark matter, we don't know what its made of, its properties, or really, if it even exists.

But i get it. Thinking outside of the box is frowned upon around here. Lets all be fanboys, and fuck yea downvote me some more.

Re: Earth Might Have Hairy Dark Matter

#18

Post by poelzi »

hliyan wrote: post #11

I find this fascinating, but still purely hypothetical, yes? Basically: IF the observed expansion of the universe is indeed due to dark matter as we think of it, and IF such dark matter exist as streams, and IF such streams mix with ordinary galaxies, and IF the solar system is passing through such a stream THEN Earth MAY have dark matter filaments in its vicinity. IF we locate such a filament and send a probe, we mi…

The universe does not expand: www.cosmology.info/newsletter/2014.05.pdf

I follow the BSM-SG model in which dark matter/dark energy is absolutely clear what it is and how it functions. The illustration is even a bit similar to the BSM-SG model, if you see it as the CL dimensions. Larger astronomical bodies have their own CL space, which means they carry a bubble with them those geometry is dependent on the body itself. This is why the photons get into a gravitational pull on heavy bodies, time goes differently, ...

Re: Earth Might Have Hairy Dark Matter

#19

Post by wfn »

hliyan wrote: post #11

I find this fascinating, but still purely hypothetical, yes? Basically: IF the observed expansion of the universe is indeed due to dark matter as we think of it, and IF such dark matter exist as streams, and IF such streams mix with ordinary galaxies, and IF the solar system is passing through such a stream THEN Earth MAY have dark matter filaments in its vicinity. IF we locate such a filament and send a probe, we mi…

@ 'berntb, you've been shadowbanned for unclear reasons IMO, FYI.

Their dead comment:

    You are mixing up dark matter and dark energy. The main effect of dark matter
    is not universal expansion, it is from both influences of gravity on galaxies
    and theory.
    See e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_matter#Observational_evidence
Post reply on HN