Dark Matter Could Cause Jupiter’s Night Side to Glow
One of the most captivating pursuits in modern astronomy is the hunt for dark matter, that elusive material making up a significant portion of the universe’s mass. While it doesn’t interact with electromagnetic forces, making it invisible, its presence is inferred from gravitational effects on visible matter. A recent study suggests a novel method of detecting dark matter using planetary atmospheres, with intriguing observations of Jupiter by the Cassini spacecraft offering new insights. Dark matter is believed to constitute about 27% of the universe’s mass and energy. Unlike ordinary matter, dark matter doesn’t emit, absorb, or reflect light, rendering it undetectable by conventional telescopes. Its existence is inferred from gravitational effects, such as those observed in galaxy clusters via gravitational lensing. However, a paper now suggests that dark matter interactions may also be detectable through planets, adding a fascinating twist to our search. ...
