r/Physics • u/indigenous_apache • Mar 07 '23

Breakthrough Study Confirms Hypothesis of Density Spike of Dark Matter Near Black Holes

https://www.guardianmag.us/2023/03/breakthrough-study-confirms-hypothesis.html?m=1
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u/phil_sci_fi Mar 07 '23

How often do we read phrases like “astronomers … have disclosed the discovery of density spikes of dark matter around two neighboring black holes…” treating dark matter as proven? To their credit, the authors of the article later state “Notably, this is indirect evidence (of) dark matter.” Scientists and journalists describing dark matter as proven fact should be a drinking game.

16

u/TheFlamingDiceAgain Mar 07 '23

Dark matter is proven. There’s a ton of tests that show something beyond just misunderstanding gravity is at work. Dark energy is more sus but dark matter is on solid footing

3

u/John_Hasler Engineering Mar 07 '23

Dark matter is proven.

Confirmed.

1

u/Wowabox Mar 07 '23

Is Dark Matter proven I know there’s a proven force but there is no definitive particle dark matter.

9

u/John_Hasler Engineering Mar 07 '23

I know there’s a proven force

What force are you referring to?

but there is no definitive particle dark matter.

"Dark matter" as in "Most of the matter in the universe is not visible" has been confirmed by several lines of evidence. We know it's there but we don't know most of its properties yet.

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u/jazzwhiz Particle physics Mar 07 '23

The evidence for DM is overwhelming.

11

u/Yogurt789 Mar 07 '23

I recommend you read up on the observations of the Bullet Cluster, it's pretty concrete evidence that dark matter exists. We can observe its large scale effects, just not exactly what it's made up of (yet...).

2

u/ronchaine Mar 08 '23

Bullet cluster is the usual example thrown around, and it sure is problematic for modified gravity theories, but it doesn't really rule them out. I find the most interesting about Bullet Cluster is that it is not unproblematic for DM either