Scientists have finally FOUND the universe's 'missing matter'

Scientists have finally FOUND the universe's 'missing matter': Elusive substance is discovered in 10 million degree filament - addressing a decades -long mystery.

They believe the 'missing' matter lies in a vast filament of 10-million-degree gases stretching across the depths of the universe.

At 23 million light-years in length, this cosmic ribbon contains 10 times as much matter as the Milky Way.

It stretches diagonally away from Earth as part of the Shapley Supercluster .

'Ordinary' matter, which makes up everything we can see, corresponds to only five per cent of the known universe.

The rest is made up of so-called 'dark matter' which only makes its presence felt by its gravitational pull.

For decades , at least half of this regular matter had eluded detection.

But scientists have in recent years made the first direct observations of a 'cosmic web' of filaments spanning between galaxies.

These filaments are made of gas at temperatures between 100,000C ( 180,032 F ) and 10 millionC (50 millionF) and may account for the 'missing' ordinary matter.