Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
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For decades, half the universe’s normal matter was missing—now, we finally know where it’s been hiding.
Representative pic/NASA
This gas weaves between galaxies in vast filaments, too diffuse to see—until now.
Credit: NASA
Ionized hydrogen, invisible to optical telescopes, makes up the bulk of this elusive mass.
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This "warm-hot intergalactic medium" holds the key to understanding galaxy formation and cosmic flow.
Representative pic/NASA
Using cosmic microwave background radiation as a spotlight, scientists tracked down the gas.
Galactic black holes might be blowing this gas away—not once, but again and again through their lifetime.
Researchers say further analysis will rely on simulations to confirm how this gas behaves in space.
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This discovery may force us to rethink how baryonic matter moves compared to dark matter.
Representative pic/NASA
With this missing link, cosmologists can finally refine how galaxies and stars are born and evolve.
Representative pic/NASA