DARK MATTER 'BEACH BALL' UNVEILED

by Theresa , Thursday, January 07, 2010, 20:01

The giant halo of dark matter that surrounds our galaxy is shaped like a flattened beach ball, researchers say.

It is the first definitive measure of the scope of the dark matter that makes up the majority of galaxies' masses.

The shape of this "dark matter halo" was inferred from the path of debris left behind as the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy slowly orbits the Milky Way.

A team of US astronomers announced the findings at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Washington.

Dark matter is a mysterious kind of matter that makes up nearly a quarter of the universe, but does not interact with light and so has until now remained invisible to scientists.

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