Astrophysicists suggest that half of the normal matter in our universe exists as hot gas. The study of space in the last ten years has shown that so-called dark energy and dark matter prevail in the regions close to our galaxy and only 5% exists in the form of ordinary matter, the same as on earth.
Dark matter is a hypothetical substance that astronomers have been talking about in the Universe. Scientists drew attention to the fact that the forces with which galaxies and their clusters are attracted to each other cannot be explained by the gravitational interactions of stars, gas and dust clouds and other objects visible through telescopes. According to calculations, these forces are several times higher than those that should have arisen.
Therefore, scientists suggested that there is another kind of matter in space that does not interact with electromagnetic radiation, and therefore it cannot be detected using telescopes. This matter, which has received the name "dark" for its alleged properties, apparently consists of massive particles that very weakly interact with the atoms that form the usual "visible" matter.
Observed with ground-based and orbiting telescopes, "visible" matter in the form of stars and intergalactic gas contains only half of the number of protons and neutrons calculated theoretically. The other half remains elusive, eluding the eyes of astronomers and astrophysicists! So what is this “missing matter”?
A large amount of hot gas emitting in the X-ray range fills galaxy clusters, and its mass is several times greater than the mass of stars in these galaxies. This fact suggested that the "missing matter" may be similar in nature to this gas, but slightly colder and less dense, so it is almost impossible to detect it.
Scientists have called it "warm intergalactic environment." It cannot be "detected" by direct observation, but this medium reveals itself by the absorption of X-ray radiation passing through it. In the past five years, astronomers have observed the bright blazar Margarian 421, whose surroundings are likely to be filled with a "warm intergalactic environment."
Dr. Taotao Feng of the University of California is a leading expert in the field. In recent years, his research team has focused their observations on a mysterious space object, a cluster of galaxies called the Wall of the Sculptor, which has a filamentous structure. The cluster contains thousands of galaxies, including the interesting blazar H2356-309, which emits powerful X-rays.
Blazars is a type of active galaxies that radiate towards the Earth and have characteristic spectra. Precisely because the radiation is precisely directed towards our planet, it is easier for astronomers to detect weak absorption of X-ray radiation, which indicates the presence of a warm intergalactic medium in this region of space.
Promotional video:
With the help of NASA's Chandra near-Earth telescope and the HMM-Newton telescope of the European Space Agency, Professor Fang and his colleagues were able to detect in the vicinity of blazar H2356-309 a "warm intergalactic medium" of exactly the temperature and density that were calculated theoretically. The Sculptor's Wall stretches for tens of millions of light years and has a fibrous large-scale structure, the same structure as the warm intergalactic environment.
Maria BUUK