Researchers Find Direct Proof of ‘Dark Matter’

Astronomers say they have found the best evidence to date for “dark matter,” that mysterious invisible substance that is believed to account for the bulk of the universe’s mass.

Using a host of telescopes, including NASA’s Chandra X-ray observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope, researchers focused on the collision between two galactic clusters.

The researchers found that most of the gravitational pull from the aftermath of the encounter comes from a relatively empty-looking patch of sky, a strong suggestion that there is something more there than meets the eye.

“This provides the first direct proof that dark matter must exist,” said Doug Clowe, a research astronomer at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

The researchers said they would publish their results in a future issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters.