It takes on a sort of filamentary structure, creating a “cosmic web”, the study says. The matter yet to be found is referred to as the “missing baryons”, and researchers believe it’s strung along in filaments of hot gas that make up the cosmic web.
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“This was an unexpected and most welcome discovery”, said Dr Dominique Eckert of the University of Geneva, Switzerland, lead author of the paper. The object comprises of at least four smaller components that appear to be merging, said researchers. They managed to locate 5 large structures containing hot gads which looked like they were linked with the core of what is known as Abell 2744.
After comparison of the X-ray data with optical observations researchers found the galaxies that belonged to various filaments. The astronomers have reconstructed its distribution by studying the “gravitational lensing” effect that the mass of the cluster and filaments exerts on distant galaxies, modifying the path of their light and so increasing their brightness and twisting their shapes as seen by us. For those who don’t know: XMM space telescope possesses the ability to detect signatures of excessively hot gases. Being able to identify the nature of ordinary matter is vital to understanding what starts the formation of galaxies.
The new study suggests that the rest of the percentage exists in the form of a “cosmic web” of very hot gas and its filaments are flowing inside a cluster of galaxies.
Galaxies are formed when ordinary matter collapses then cools down.
While the measurements match well with the astronomers’ theoretical scenario, caution is always in order when drawing conclusions about the Universe as a whole. For that, the filamentary regions will have to be studied more closely. The telescope, according to reports, should become operational by mid-2020s.
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The scientists made the findings by measuring the density and temperatures of the gas and comparing it to predictions of its theory on the cosmic web. They are in agreement, which means that our entire universe is suspended in this body of hot gas, dark matter and some other kind of matter that we haven’t yet discovered.
