Giant dark matter bridge between galaxy clusters discovered

Finding supports of the standard theory of structure formation of the universe

Jörg Dietrich, University of Michigan/University Observatory Munich

A July 2012 study of the galaxy clusters Abell 222 and Abell 223(they lie 2.7 billion light years away) found they are connected by a dark matter filament, shown here.

The universe is thought to be filled with such strings of dark matter, a mysterious substance that cannot be seen, only sensed through its gravitational pull.

The blue shading and the yellow contours indicate the density of matter. The image on the sky is about twice as big as the full moon.

By Clara Moskowitz