SNOLAB celebrates Dark Matter Day 2022
October 11, 2022
— Local Community
There’s far more to our universe than meets the eye. Everything we can see, all the stuff that we know exists, makes up just 5 percent of the known universe. So, what about the other 95 percent? Astronomers and astrophysicists believe that over 25 percent of the missing mass and energy in the universe is made up of dark matter. They estimate that although invisible, dark matter particles outnumber regular matter by a ratio of about five to one; hiding in plain sight like a phantom of the universe.
Experiments around the world continue to search for dark matter, yet this ubiquitous substance remains a mystery. Dark Matter Day, is an international event that aims to shed some light on this mystery. From Oct. 26-31, Dark Matter Day events at labs and institutions around the world will highlight the global search for dark matter. This public outreach initiative aims to spread the word about the fascinating ways scientists search for dark matter, and the importance of devoting scientific resources to unraveling this cosmic riddle.
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 to better understand the universe in which we live. But scientists are not yet sure what this mysterious substance is composed of, or whether the answer, when it comes, will shed new light on our understanding of physics.
On Thursday October 27th at 7:00 and 7:30 PM Eastern time, SNOLAB will partner with Science North to host a planetarium show and Q&A all about the global effort to solve the mystery of dark matter. This is a free, event in-person event with registration through Eventbrite.
On October 31st, there will be a return of the annual SNOLAB Twitter Takeover by a dark matter particle. Follow along at our website and social media channels to stay up to date and keep an eye out for a few surprises along the way.
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 of all ages. For more on the global hunt for dark matter, visit the Interactions collaboration’s Dark Matter Hub.
For more information:
Blaire Flynn, SNOLAB Senior Education and Outreach Officer
Blaire.Flynn@snolab.ca, +1.705.692.7000 ext. 2806