From CBC
Researchers at the University of Waterloo have created the first map showing how our universe's elusive dark matter interacts with galaxies.http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/dark-matter-detected-1.4068001Dark matter makes up about 25 per cent of our universe. However, it's invisible: its presence is only detectable through its gravity and how it interacts with galaxies.
One way astronomers can "see" dark matter is through something called gravitational lensing. Because of its extreme gravity, dark matter bends light, in keeping with Einstein's theory of general relativity.
It's been theorized that galaxies are connected through dark matter in a type of cosmic web. However, until now there has never been quantitative evidence.
Using the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, the researchers were able to detect the dark matter through weak gravitational lensing. This lensing effect only changes about one per cent of a galaxy's shape.
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