Gravity tested across cosmic distances, strengthening the case for dark matter
Researchers using the Atacama Cosmology Telescope have confirmed that gravity behaves according to Newton's and Einstein's theories across vast cosmic distances. This finding supports the existence of dark matter by ruling out alternative theories that suggest gravity changes on a galactic scale.
Why it matters
It reinforces the standard model of cosmology and provides a clearer understanding of the forces shaping the universe's structure.
Gravity is best known as the force that keeps us on Earth, but its effects extend throughout the cosmos. It influences the motions of stars, galaxies and clusters of galaxies, and helps determine the development and growth of the biggest structures in the universe. Yet astronomers have faced a puzzling problem for a long time. Stars and galaxies can sometimes seem to move far faster than their visible matter should allow. That discrepancy has spawned two competing ideas. Either the universe is filled with vast quantities of unseen dark matter, or the laws of gravity change on huge cosmic scales. Now one of the biggest tests ever has been carried out by University of Pennsylvania researcher Patricio A. Gallardo and his collaborators. Published by Science Daily, the research talks about Newton’s 300-year-old law and more.
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