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Hubble Survey Finds Half of the Missing Matter

esocid sends along the news that scientists believe they have found about half the missing matter in the universe. The matter we can see is only about 1/8 of the total baryonic matter believed to exist (and only 1/200 the mass-energy of the visible universe). This missing matter is not to be confused with "dark matter," which is thought to be non-baryonic. The missing stuff has been found in the intergalactic medium that extends essentially throughout all of space, from just outside our galaxy to the most distant regions of space. "'We think we are seeing the strands of a web-like structure that forms the backbone of the universe,' Mike Shull of the University of Colorado explained. 'What we are confirming in detail is that intergalactic space, which intuitively might seem to be empty, is in fact the reservoir for most of the normal, baryonic matter in the universe.'"

5 of 189 comments (clear)

  1. Ok, fess up by pauljuno · · Score: 5, Funny

    Come on, which one of you took it?

    1. Re:Ok, fess up by somersault · · Score: 5, Funny

      It was like that when I got here.

      --
      which is totally what she said
  2. Re:Ether by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    I knew someone was going to make an ether comment. The luminiferous ether was the hypothecial medium that electromagnetic waves (including light) traveled through. It was hypothesized because, at the time, there were no known waves that traveled without a medium. However, the ether was disproven, and it was shown that EM waves travel without a medium. What's mentioned in the article is not ether.

  3. This proves the existance of God! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    We think we are seeing the strands of a web-like structure that forms the backbone of the universe

    It is a noodle like structure. FSM 1 ID 0
  4. Re:Ether by CowboyNealOption · · Score: 5, Funny

    The ods would do better if they remembered to take their eds every orning.