First signs of dark matter spotted, study claims

A mysterious glow surrounding the Milky Way could be the fingerprints of the Universe's most enigmatic material

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For nearly a century, dark matter has remained an enigma. Despite it being around five times more abundant than normal (visible) matter, it can't be seen, touched or detected using any known techniques.

But a new analysis of 15 years of data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope claims to have picked up a signal indicating its presence.

The analysis reports the detection of a mysterious halo-like glow of gamma rays around the Milky Way, which peak sharply at energies that closely match the kind of signal expected from a particular type of hypothetical dark matter particle.

Such particles, known as weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), could produce the gamma rays by colliding with each other in a process known as annihilation.

It's not a detection of dark matter itself, but akin to finding the fingerprints it has left behind.

“If this is correct, to the extent of my knowledge, it would mark the first time humanity has 'seen' dark matter,” said Prof Tomonori Totani, an astronomer and author of the study.

Speaking to BBC Science Focus, he added: “When I first spotted what seemed like a signal, I was sceptical. But when I took the time to check it meticulously and felt confident it was correct, I got goosebumps.”

A CLOSE MATCH

Totani’s study, published in the