Dark Matter Grows Hair Around Stars and Planets (forbes.com)

StartsWithABang writes: Dark matter may make up 27% of the Universe's energy density, compared to just 5% of normal (atomic) matter, but in our Solar System, it's notoriously sparse. In particular, there's just a nanogram's worth per cubic kilometer, which makes the fact that we've never directly detected it seem inevitable. But recent work has demonstrated that Earth and all the planets leave a "wake" of dark matter where the density is enhanced by a billion times or more. Time to go put those dark matter detectors where they belong: in the path of these dark matter hairs.

Comments

Dark Matter = Closet Aether Theory

[Anonymous Coward]

So, perhaps we can finally admit that an Aether field does exist, even if it isn't as simplistic as the traditional concept, instead of "hiding in the closest" about it with things like virtual particles, dark matter and dark energy? That the presence of large quantities of mass (planets) cause large pressurized displacements of said field? That local gravitational force is the result of this local pressure field, and not due to a perpetual attraction? That the orbits of the planets around the Sun are not due to two orthogonal perpetual forces at play, nor due to an effective mathematical detour of calling space and time curved, but is due to a balance of such "dark matter" at the system level -- a direct result of body densities in a real field?

No? Didn't think so. Diving into real mechanical explanations just isn't as profitable or exciting as producing crank Quantum Heuristic theories that make the front page of science mags and ensure job security for mathematical magicians :)