Planetarium Show PDF

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Description of dark matter for the required planetarium show...

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Brianna Tomci Dr. HU AA100 14 November 2018 Phantom of the Universe When I went to the Planetarium, I watched a show about dark matter that was titled “Phantom of the Universe.” The show opened up with the beginnings of the universe and talked about the Big Bang which we learned about in class. It showed the origins of atoms and how galaxies began colliding together to create other galaxies. I didn’t know much about dark matter going into the show, so most of the information was newly learned. Both the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxies were shown and although they were previously discussed in class, I learned that these galaxies contain dark matter and how scientists figured this out by using X-rays. The X-rays showed a invisible cloud of dark matter that is essentially the glue of the galaxy. I also learned about the particle accelerator in Switzerland that is currently being used to try and create dark matter itself. This occurs by sending protons at high speeds at each other in order to create a collision that could possibly create dark matter. I also learned of a facility in North Dakota where scientists travel approximately a mile underground in attempts to discover dark matter. If students are required to attend a planetarium show in the future, I would highly recommend this one. This show provided an in-depth and visual explanation as to what dark matter is, where it came from, and how scientists are hard at work to discover more about it today. I thought that this was a very interesting and educational experience outside of class....