Scientists are making exciting progress in the quest to understand dark matter. At the University of Southampton in the UK, researchers are testing a new device that levitates sheets of graphite in microgravity. Their goal? To search for tiny hints that might reveal the nature of dark matter.
As physicist Tim Fuchs explains, “Dark matter is one of the big mysteries in science. It shapes our Universe but remains undetectable.” Despite many theories about what dark matter could be, no experiment on Earth has managed to find it yet.
When we look into space, we notice something odd. There’s way more gravity than we can account for with just the regular matter we see, like stars and planets. For example, galaxies spin much faster at their edges than their mass should allow. Measurements show that dark matter might be six times more abundant than the ordinary matter we can observe.
The challenge is that dark matter is invisible. It doesn’t emit light, and we can’t interact with it in any conventional way—other than seeing how it affects gravity. While we might never fully understand dark matter, scientists are exploring every possible avenue to learn more about it.
Fuchs and his team are set to launch an experiment aboard a satellite called Jovian-1. This satellite will be released into Earth’s orbit, where it will operate for two years. “Our experiment is unique,” Fuchs says. “We’ll levitate graphite between magnets that are very sensitive to small forces in zero gravity. If a dark matter ‘wind’ is dense enough, it might gently push our levitated particles, allowing us to measure it for the first time.”
Jovian-1 will be about the size of a shoebox and will carry several experiments designed by students from the University of Southampton, along with partners from the University of Portsmouth and Surrey University. The team plans to launch the satellite in early 2026, so it will be a bit of a wait for results.
However, the findings could provide valuable insights into dark matter, even if no direct detection occurs. Fuchs mentions, “There are theories suggesting that dark matter might not penetrate through our atmosphere or mountains, which could explain why Earth-based experiments haven’t been successful.” This mission will be the first to use levitation technology in space, and the team hopes it will demonstrate the potential to detect dark matter beyond Earth.
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