Q&A: Cosmology
Q:
I would like to know if all these new galaxies spotted with
Chandra are going to affect the previous calculations of the
total mass contained in the universe, and also if this is going
to help to estimate a more accurate date for the Big Bang.
A:
A recent discovery (see
http://chandra.harvard.edu/press/00_releases/press_011300bg.html)
points to two new types of source: veiled galactic nuclei in
which an X-ray emitting, but optically obscured black hole is at
the center of a known galaxy, and a mysterious type of source
that has yet to be identified with a known galaxy. The first
type of source should not change our estimate of dark matter
significantly, since the central black holes contain less than 1
percent of the total mass of the galaxy. It is impossible to say
what the effect of the second type will be on our understanding
of dark matter or the age of the universe, since we are not yet
sure exactly what these mysterious objects are, or why they give
off so many X rays. I would say that there is a good chance they
could affect both.
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