MadSci Network: Astronomy
Query:

Subject: How can Dark Matter be composed of WIMPS?

Date: Fri Jul 10 10:17:51 1998
Posted by Stan Monroe
Grade level: grad (non-science)
School: University of Colorado
City: Denver State/Province: CO
Country: USA
Area of science: Astronomy
ID: 900083871.As
Message:

Many scientists are speculating that the so-called "dark matter" 
could be composed of WIMPs - weakly interacting massive particles.  
Some have said that these particles could be neutrinos - which have 
recently been found to have mass.  How could this be true?  If 90% of 
the mass of the universe is indeed composed of dark matter, and if 
this matter is WIMPS, then, in the case of our solar system, WIMPS 
would wreak havoc on the orbits of the planets in our solar system.  
But, all of the matter and gravitational forces in our solar system 
have been accounted for by Newton and Einstein.  Are scientists 
somehow suggesting that WIMPs only exist between star-systems in 
galaxies and not within star-systems in galaxies?  This sounds 
preposterous to me.


Re: How can Dark Matter be composed of WIMPS?

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