All articles tagged with #missing baryons
Originally Published 6 months ago — by 404 Media
Scientists have confirmed the location of the universe's 'missing' baryonic matter, finding that about 76% of it exists as gas in the intergalactic medium, using fast radio bursts to illuminate these dark regions and improve understanding of cosmic matter distribution.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by Big Think
The composition of our Universe is mostly non-luminous, with 5% normal matter, 27% dark matter, and 68% dark energy. However, much of the normal matter remains elusive, leading to the "missing baryons" problem. Recent X-ray studies have detected a hot, ionized, galaxy-surrounding material known as the circumgalactic medium, which may hold the solution to the missing baryons. This diffuse gas, with very high temperatures and low densities, extends far beyond the stellar extents of galaxies and can absorb light at specific frequencies. By studying the absorption features in the spectra of distant sources, astronomers have found evidence of a normal matter-rich circumgalactic medium around many galaxies, including our Milky Way. This suggests that the missing baryons required by the Universe may be located in this hot, diffuse medium.