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Astronomy.com

Scientists discover significant ‘missing matter' in the gas between galaxy clusters

Astronomy.com
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Astronomers may have found some of the universe's missing baryons.

Normal matter makes up about 4 to 5 percent of the cosmos’ total energy density.

The problem: Astronomers could only locate around half of those baryon matter.

Theoretical models of the cosmic web predict these bariesons might be tucked away in material called the warm-hot intergalactic medium.

Scientists are slowly but steadily resolving the missing baryons problem.

Xiaoyuan Zhang , a postdoctoral researcher at MPE who led the study, says finding the missing galaxies will also illuminate galaxy evolution.

"That will help us learn how the universe has evolved to its present state," he says.