Constance Walter
cwalter@sanfordlab.org
Everybody loves a mystery—and one of the biggest mysteries in particle physics is dark matter. Look around. Everything we can see, everything we know exists, makes up just 5 percent of the known universe. So, what is the other 95 percent?
Astronomers and astrophysicists believe that approximately 25 percent of the missing mass and energy in the universe is made up of dark matter; the rest is dark energy. Experiments around the world continue to search for dark matter, yet this ubiquitous substance remains a mystery.
Dark Matter Day, an international event, aims to shed light on that mystery through a series of events held on and around Halloween. These events, set to begin in late October and run through the end of the year, will highlight the global search for dark matter, the many fascinating ways scientists search for this elusive substance, and the value of devoting scientific resources to unraveling this cosmic riddle.
Laboratories around the world will host live and virtual events, making Dark Matter Day accessible to a worldwide audience. To explore the many opportunities to participate in live and virtual events, visit the Dark Matter Day website.
Though scientists have yet to detect dark matter, indirect evidence tells us it exists—in the gravitational effects of galaxies and the way light bends around unseen objects in space. Understanding the nature of dark matter will help us better understand the universe in which we live. But scientists are not sure yet what this mysterious substance is composed of, or whether the answer, when it comes, will require a complete re-write of our understanding of physics.
A host of innovative experiments are searching for the source of dark matter using different types of tools, such as detectors built deep underground, powerful particle beams and telescopes based both on Earth and in space. For more on the global hunt for dark matter, visit the Interactions collaboration’s Dark Matter Hub.
Sponsored by the Interactions Collaboration, an international community of particle physics communication specialists, Dark Matter Day celebrates the work being done in laboratories and institutions around the world, and shares what we do know about this cosmic puzzle with audiences worldwide.
To find resources or to register your event, go to the Dark Matter Day website.
Press Contact:
Constance Walter
Communications Director
Sanford Underground Research Facility
cwalter@sanfordlab.org
605-722-4025