Researchers at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) have found a large chunk of the universe, thought to have been found in 2002, missing. This new revelation has reduced the weight of the universe by ten to twenty percent than what was previously calculated.
The group that earlier found what was theorized to be a significant fraction of the ‘missing mass’ that binds together the universe has now discovered that some x-rays thought to come from intergalactic clouds of warm gas are instead caused by lightweight electrons.
According to Dr. Max Bonamente, an assistant professor in UAH, if the source of so much x-ray energy is tiny electrons instead of heavier atoms, this means that the mass of x-ray emitting clouds is much less. A significant portion of what was thought to be the missing mass is actually ‘relativistic electrons’ traveling at almost the same speed as light. These electrons collide with photons from cosmic microwave background. Energy from the collision converts the photons from low-energy microwaves to high-energy x-rays.
Image: seopher
Source: science daily
