- Ben Harris at Texas University measured Earth's mass as 'felt' by satellites
- Data from these satellites indicate the strength of Earth's gravitational pull
- The gravitational pull is then directly related to the planet's mass
- He found our planet is 0.005 and 0.008 per cent heavier than first thought
- That is the equivalent to a disc of dark matter around the equator which is 191km (120 miles) thick and 70,000 km (43,000 miles) across
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Ever since scientists have theorised that dark matter exists, concrete evidence of the elusive substance has continued to confound them.
Now, data from a number of GPS satellites suggest that a halo of the strange matter may be surrounding Earth, causing our planet to be heavier than first believed.
From his calculations, Professor Ben Harris from Texas University claims this halo could affect the Earth's gravity and that the planet could be 0.005 and 0.008 per cent heavier than the mass established by the International Astronomical Union.
A number of GPS satellites have revealed that a halo of dark matter may be surrounding Earth, causing our planet to be heavier than first believed. Dark matter is considered crucial to theories explaining how the universe is expanding and how galaxies interact
This would be the equivalent of a disc of dark matter around the equator which is 191km (120 miles) thick and 70,000 km (43,000 miles) across.
According to International Astronomical Union, the current Earth mass is quoted as 5,972,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000kg, or 5.972E24 kg.
Dark matter is considered crucial to theories explaining how the universe is expanding and how galaxies interact.
It is thought to make up 27 per cent of the universe, but despite huge amounts of funding and research effort, experiments have so far failed to confirm its presence.
In 2009, researchers at the Institute of Advanced Studies in Princeton, argued that changes in the speeds of space probes as they flew past the Earth could be explained by dark matter bound by Earth's gravity.
Using data on the satellites in the U.S. GPS, Russian GLONASS and European Galileo groups, Professor Harris measured Earth's mass as 'felt' by each satellite. From his calculations, Professor Harris claims the Earth is between 0.005 and 0.008 per cent heavier than the mass established by the International Astronomical Union
WHAT IS DARK MATTER?
Dark matter accounts for around 27 per cent of the universe.
It surrounds galaxies across the universe, and is invisible because it does not reflect light.
It cannot be seen directly with telescopes, but astronomers know it to be out there because of the gravitational effects it has on the matter we can see.
Galaxies, for example, could not rotate the way they do and hold their shape without the presence of dark matter, researchers say.
The European Space Agency said: 'Shine a torch in a completely dark room, and you will see only what the torch illuminates.
'That does not mean that the room around you does not exist.
'Similarly we know dark matter exists but have never observed it directly.'
Scientists are fairly sure it exists and is crucial to the universe, but they do not know what it looks like or where to find it.
Using data on the satellites in the U.S. GPS, Russian GLONASS and European Galileo groups, Professor Harris measured Earth's mass as ‘felt’ by each satellite.
As satellites orbit the Earth, their location in space is determined by the Earth's gravitational pull.
By using the data and location of these satellites, Professor Harris was able to estimate how strong this pull was, which in turn gave an indication to how heavy the Earth is.
‘The nice thing about GPS satellites is that we know their orbits really, really well,’ he told New Scientist.
Professor Harris is now planning to factor in changes to the satellites' orbits due to the gravitational pull of the sun and moon.
If his calculations prove to be correct, satellites could help unlock some longstanding mysterious surrounding dark matter.
Scientists still have no concrete proof that dark matter exists, but the evidence for it is significant.
Galaxies, for example, could not rotate the way they do and hold their shape without the presence of dark matter, researchers say.
The quest to find it is now gaining pace. Last year one of the biggest quests in physics, the search for the enigmatic substance known as dark matter, failed to provide answers.
The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment, the world’s most advanced test to find this elusive material, was unable to detect its presence after its first 90-day run.
A number of researchers are currently re-examining dark matter candidates once written off as unlikely, and considering unpopular ideas such as dark matter could be made out of something undetectable.
Last year, the Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment, the world's most advanced test to find this elusive material, was unable to detect dark matter after its first 90-day run
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2533148/Is-Earth-HEAVIER-think-GPS-satellites-suggest-halo-dark-matter-surrounding-planet.html#ixzz2pgM4Js2i
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