Galaxy NGC1052-DF2, which, as previously thought, is devoid of dark matter, turned out to be quite a common object, fitting into standard models and containing the usual amount of this mysterious substance.
Galaxies without dark matter cannot be explained in the framework of the modern theory of their formation. However, in 2018 in an article published in the journal Nature, it was announced the discovery of a galaxy, in which there was clearly no dark matter. And now, thanks to the analysis of the complete data set, we have found the reason for this discrepancy.
As the authors note, they noticed that all the characteristics of NGC1052-DF2, which are based on the distance to it, seemed abnormal. Astronomers decided to test it and, using five independent methods to estimate the distance to the object, found that they all lead to one thing: NGC1052-DF2 is much closer to Earth than stated in a previous study.
In an article published in Nature, it says that the galaxy is about 64 million light years from us. However, the results showed that the real distance is much less, about 42 million light years.
Considering the newly obtained distance to NGC1052-DF2, the scientists determined its parameters taking into account the updated data, which turned out to be quite normal and correspond to those expected from structures with similar characteristics.
The mass of this galaxy we received is half the size of the one previously calculated, and the mass of its stars is 4 times less than the previous one. This implies that a large part of the mass of NGC1052-DF2 lies in dark matter. The results of our work show the fundamental importance of correct measurement of extragalactic distances, which has always been one of the most difficult tasks in astrophysics.
The mystery of a galaxy without dark matter is revealed
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