It's possible for tiny black holes to race through our solar system

Dark matter It has puzzled physicists for decades. It is still unclear what the mysterious substance is composed of 80% of all matter in the universe constitute. Researchers at MIT now propose a measurement method that could shed more light on this issue.

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Is dark matter made of black holes?

As early as the 1970s, the theory of dark matter emerged Microscopic black holes Exists in the first second after the Big Bang. However, this theory has not yet been tested, although such black holes should be relatively common. this Gravity dwarves It should roar through our solar system at least once every decade.

This flight also affects the planets Orbit And so I was shaken. This deviation can already be measured today. “Scientists know the distance between Earth and Mars with an accuracy of about 10 cm“Says study author David Kaiser in one broadcast. “We're using this really carefully measured space to look for a small effect.”

As small as a single atom

In contrast to conventional black holes, mini-holes were not formed by the collapse of ancient stars, but by dense accumulations of gas in the early universe. These gas bubbles collapsed and formed multiple microscopic black holes that spread throughout the universe. These holes can be as small as a single atom and as heavy as the largest asteroids (i.e. asteroids). Hundreds of quadrillions of tons) He is.

It's very astronomical improbableThat such a black hole would fly through a person on Earth. The researchers calculated that if something like this happened, the high gravity would cause the person to move 6 meters almost instantly.

Flowing through the universe

“Such black holes do not live in our solar system, but rather stream through the universe,” says co-author Sarah Geller. “The likelihood is that they fly through the inner solar system at a certain angle about every 10 years.” Black holes also exist 240 kilometers per second Or about a thousandth of the speed of light.

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The researchers found that there was a small hole a few hundred million kilometers away Mars Passing too far would cause a slight deviation in Mars' orbit. Within a few years of this encounter, Mars' orbit should have changed by about One meter It moves.

This deviation is incredibly small considering that Mars is more than 140 million kilometers away. But it can be measured using today's technology. According to the researchers, if such an anomaly is discovered in the coming years, it could be a sign that a black hole was passing near the planet.

Now it's time to wait

However, a lot of work is needed to figure out whether the anomaly is actually caused by a black hole or just a single black hole Asteroids It was turned on. “Fortunately, astronomers have been tracking space rocks as they pass through our solar system for decades,” Kaiser says. So you know its paths and effects on other celestial bodies.

So now we have to wait, and with any luck, the black hole is closer to us than we ever imagined.