Dark matter constitutes roughly 85% of all matter in the Universe, and there may be more of it near the Sun than previously assumed.
The presence of dark matter can be inferred from its gravitational effect on the rotation of the Milky Way and other groups of stars. Silvia Garbari at the University of Zurich in Switzerland and her team have developed a dynamic model of the Milky Way (pictured) that focuses on the motion of about 2,000 stars local to the Sun. Their model suggests that the density of dark matter near the Sun is higher than had been thought.
This result is at odds with the prevailing view that a spherical halo of dark matter surrounds the Galaxy. The result is instead consistent with a less spherical galactic halo or with a local disc of dark matter.
Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21608.x (2012)
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Dark matter hugs the Sun. Nature 488, 432 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/488432c
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/488432c
