Dark matter has puzzled physicists for decades. It is still not clear what the mysterious substance is made of 80 percent of all matter in the universe makes up. Researchers at MIT are now proposing a measurement method that could shed more light on the matter.
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Is dark matter made up of black holes?
As early as the 1970s, the theory emerged that dark matter microscopic black holes exists in the first second after the Big Bang. However, this theory has not yet been tested, although such black holes should be relatively common. This Gravity dwarfs would have to roar through our solar system at least once a decade.
Such a flyby also affects the planets orbit is thereby shaken. And this deviation can actually be measured today. “Scientists know the distance between Earth and Mars with an accuracy of about 10 centimeters“, says study author David Kaiser in a . “We are using this already precisely measured area of space to look for a small effect.”
As small as a single atom
In contrast to conventional black holes, the mini-holes were not formed by the collapse of old stars, but by dense accumulations of gas in the early universe. These gas bubbles collapsed and formed multiple microscopic black holes that spread throughout the universe. These holes can be as small as a single atom and as heavy as the largest asteroids (i.e Hundreds of quadrillions of tons) be.
Astronomically it is very unlikelythat such a black hole flies through a person on Earth. The researchers calculated that if something like this were to happen, the high gravity would cause a person to move 6 meters almost instantly.
Flowing through the universe
“Such black holes do not live in our solar system. Rather, they flow through the universe,” says co-author Sarah Geller. “And the probability is that they fly through the inner solar system at some angle about every 10 years.” The black holes are there too 240 kilometers per second or about a thousandth of the speed of light.
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The researchers found that a mini-hole just a few hundred million kilometers away Mars passing distantly, would trigger a slight deviation in Mars’ orbit. Within a few years of such an encounter, Mars’ orbit should change by about one meter move.
This deviation is incredibly small considering that Mars is more than 140 million kilometers away. But it can be measured with today’s technology. According to the researchers, if such a deviation were discovered in the coming years, it could be a sign that a black hole was passing by the planet.
Now it’s time to wait
However, a lot of work is needed to find out whether the deviation is really from a black hole or just one Asteroids was triggered. “Fortunately, astronomers have been tracking space rocks as they pass through our solar system for decades,” says Kaiser. So you know their trajectories and the effects on other celestial bodies.
So now we have to wait – and with a bit of luck, a black hole has already come closer to us than we could ever imagine.
