Hunting for Dark Matter in the Smallest Galaxies in the Universe (IMAGE)
Caption
On the left-hand side, we see the results of a computer simulation in which Eridanus II resides within a dense dark matter 'halo', as expected in the standard cosmological model. The star cluster (in green) rapidly dissolves in this model. We can, therefore, rule out this model since we see an old surviving star cluster in Eridanus II today. On the right-hand side, we see a similar computer simulation in which Eridanus II resides in a much lower density dark matter 'halo'. In this model, the star cluster not only survives but it grows to a size that matches the observed star cluster in Eridanus II, marked by the green circle in the middle.
Credit
Observational image taken from Crnojevi et al. 2016; composite image produced by Dr Maxime Delorme (University of Surrey).
Usage Restrictions
Only use with credit
License
Licensed content