Missing Dark Matter

Missing Dark Matter: Recently, astronomers from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) have identified the probable cause behind the unusual lack of dark matter in the distant galaxy NGC 1052-DF2.

• About Dark matter: Essential in galaxy formation, but NGC 1052-DF2, an Ultra-Diffuse Galaxy (UDG), defies this by showing a significant lack of dark matter.

o The Department of Science and Technology (DST) reports that the galaxy's dynamical mass is less than 340 million solar masses, only slightly larger than the 200 million solar masses of its stars, challenging standard galaxy evolution models.

• Revisiting Galaxy Formation Theories:The discovery of NGC 1052-DF2 challenges traditional dark matter models, offering a unique case of galaxy evolution with minimal dark matter.
• New Models to Resolve the Discrepancy: New mass models using stellar data showed that assumptions of a "cuspy" dark matter halo do not fit the galaxy's observed characteristics, suggesting no significant dark matter.