Warm-hot intergalactic medium
Encyclopedia
The warm–hot intergalactic medium (WHIM) refers to a sparse, warm-to-hot (105 to 107 K) plasma that cosmologists
believe to exist in the spaces between galaxies
and to contain 40–50% of the baryon
s (that is, 'normal matter' which exists as atom
s and molecule
s, in contrast to dark matter
) in the universe at the current epoch.
In May 2010 a giant reservoir of WHIM was detected by the Chandra X-ray Observatory
lying along the wall shaped structure of galaxies (Sculptor Wall
) some 400 million light-years from Earth.
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
believe to exist in the spaces between galaxies
Galaxy
A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
and to contain 40–50% of the baryon
Baryon
A baryon is a composite particle made up of three quarks . Baryons and mesons belong to the hadron family, which are the quark-based particles...
s (that is, 'normal matter' which exists as atom
Atom
The atom is a basic unit of matter that consists of a dense central nucleus surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons. The atomic nucleus contains a mix of positively charged protons and electrically neutral neutrons...
s and molecule
Molecule
A molecule is an electrically neutral group of at least two atoms held together by covalent chemical bonds. Molecules are distinguished from ions by their electrical charge...
s, in contrast to dark matter
Dark matter
In astronomy and cosmology, dark matter is matter that neither emits nor scatters light or other electromagnetic radiation, and so cannot be directly detected via optical or radio astronomy...
) in the universe at the current epoch.
In May 2010 a giant reservoir of WHIM was detected by the Chandra X-ray Observatory
Chandra X-ray Observatory
The Chandra X-ray Observatory is a satellite launched on STS-93 by NASA on July 23, 1999. It was named in honor of Indian-American physicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar who is known for determining the maximum mass for white dwarfs. "Chandra" also means "moon" or "luminous" in Sanskrit.Chandra...
lying along the wall shaped structure of galaxies (Sculptor Wall
Sculptor Wall
The Sculptor Wall is a superstructure of galaxies relatively near to the Milky Way Galaxy , also known as the Sculptor superclusters....
) some 400 million light-years from Earth.
See also
- intergalactic medium
- intracluster mediumIntracluster mediumIn astronomy, the intracluster medium is the superheated plasma present at the center of a galaxy cluster. This is gas heated to temperatures of between roughly 10 and 100 megakelvins and consisting mainly of ionised hydrogen and helium, containing most of the baryonic material in the cluster...