Source of mysterious antimatter found

[UM-Bot]

Submitted by bigk1974: Antimatter, which annihilates matter upon contact, seems to be rare in the universe. Still, for decades, scientists had clues that a vast cloud of antimatter lurked in space, but they did not know where it came from.

The mysterious source of this antimatter has now been discovered — stars getting ripped apart by neutron stars and black holes. While antimatter propulsion systems are so far the stuff of science fiction, antimatter is very real.

View: Full Article | Source: Yahoo! News

[Jonny Wonny]

Sounds like they're getting people geared up for planet X.

[1.618]

Submitted by bigk1974: Antimatter, which annihilates matter upon contact, seems to be rare in the universe. Still, for decades, scientists had clues that a vast cloud of antimatter lurked in space, but they did not know where it came from. The mysterious source of this antimatter has now been discovered — stars getting ripped apart by neutron stars and black holes. While antimatter propulsion systems are so far the stuff of science fiction, antimatter is very real. What it is: All elementary particles, such as protons and electrons, have antimatter counterparts with the same mass but the opposite charge. For instance, the antimatter opposite of an electron, known as a positron, is positively charged. When a particle meets its antiparticle, they destroy each other, releasing a burst of energy such as gamma rays. In 1978, gamma ray detectors flown on balloons detected a type of gamma ray emerging from space that is known to be emitted when electrons collide with positrons — meaning there was antimatter in space. "It was quite a surprise back then to discover part of the universe was made of antimatter," researcher Gerry Skinner, an astrophysicist at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

, told SPACE.com. These gamma rays apparently came from a cloud of antimatter roughly 10,000 light-years across surrounding our galaxy's core. This giant cloud shines brightly with gamma rays, with about the energy of 10,000 suns. What exactly generated the antimatter was a mystery for the following decades.

View: Full Article | Source: Yahoo! News

How can this antimatter exist if it annhilates on contact with matter? Surely, it must always be in contact with matter as that is what scientists say that the majority of the universe is made of.

Or is the cloud of antimatter a cloud of explosions, or suspended in dark matter to avoid annhilation?

Not trying to be difficult, just curious.

Edited January 17, 2008 by 1.618

[Legatus Legionis]

How can this antimatter exist if it annhilates on contact with matter? Surely, it must always be in contact with matter as that is what scientists say that the majority of the universe is made of.

Or is the cloud of antimatter a cloud of explosions, or suspended in dark matter to avoid annhilation?

Not trying to be difficult, just curious.

I think there's a place in space that void of matter, where only Antimatter existed.

[1.618]

I think there's a place in space that void of matter, where only Antimatter existed.

A place void would be? Space itself? The vacuum? Not getting at you legion but according to science(as i understand it) at some point, the antimatter would come into contact with matter unless it were suspended in some kind of bubble analogue.

[SierraFrost]

Well it also states that this cloud is surrounding our galaxy's core. The core of our and other galaxies seem to be very busy places, densley filled with matter and stars. But the part of this article that really bugged me was the last line which stated... What exactly generated the antimatter WAS a mystery for the following decades. Did they mean IS? Because the article doesn't make mention of where this cloud came from, just what antimatter was compared to matter. And how did they know it has to be in a cloud form and not just loose particles running amok like regular matter. I love science, and even though I am just an average person, I love learning about the unknown.

[TeraLink]

How can this antimatter exist if it annhilates on contact with matter? Surely, it must always be in contact with matter as that is what scientists say that the majority of the universe is made of.

Or is the cloud of antimatter a cloud of explosions, or suspended in dark matter to avoid annhilation?

Not trying to be difficult, just curious.

I think a cloud of explosions isn't that far-fetched. There's a lot of matter out there. But who knows? Let's send a ship there .

TeraLink Was Here!

[Ourmoonlitsun]

A place void would be? Space itself? The vacuum? Not getting at you legion but according to science(as i understand it) at some point, the antimatter would come into contact with matter unless it were suspended in some kind of bubble analogue.

Correct. The post states that in 1978 gamma ray detectors did indeed pickup the release of such energy from antimatter coming in contact with matter...and that's how they know it exists in space.

Edited January 17, 2008 by Ourmoonlitsun

[Lycos]

This is a monumental step in science in further understanding the universe. If we can discover exactly how it is created it could honestly be a major source of energy for us if we can make it and use it correctly. However, if we were ever able to do that it would be a very scary time because I don't think I have to go into the possibilities of the destruction some would use it for. Either way I believe the antimatter is and was a huge missing link in understanding how things are created in our universe. I also believe it is a missing ingredient in the big bang theory. I'm extremely excited over this.

[theQ]

I'am privy to the most advanced and updated knowledge in physics and astromony and i haven't seen anything to conclude that there is clouds of anti-matter {as i define {clouds}} in space.

[theQ]

IN NOTE: all the words used in the article are far from any conclusion that there is a cloud of anti-matter in space....these observations are from already known processes.

[1.618]

Bloody hell! I'm beginning to think i've understood a science thread. See skeptics, miracles do happen:-p

[Wickian]

How can this antimatter exist if it annhilates on contact with matter? Surely, it must always be in contact with matter as that is what scientists say that the majority of the universe is made of.

Or is the cloud of antimatter a cloud of explosions, or suspended in dark matter to avoid annhilation?

Not trying to be difficult, just curious.

Because that's what space is, nothingness. Anti-matter is floating around the complete absence of everything(what we call space) just like we are(we're matter).

[primordial]

Winter solstice 2012. Well, lets see what dark matter "does".

[kobie]

its quit easy to understand that anti matter is opposed to matter thus creating a form of energy, this is most probably why you find densely populated young stars near the core where the anti matter clouds*not sure about clouds but rather dense areas* exist in more compact environments, the effect of this process would ultimately lead to the creation of stars, the sustenance residue or Bi product of this process would act as a recycling effect form more anti matter and matter....i believe this find has great possibilities and helps piece the puzzle together for star, planetary and galactic formation it will probably be more analyzed and depthly looked into, in this years research onto it and form many new grounded theories...

i also feel that this also will help to the better understanding of galactic,star and planetary fetal stage formation!

Edited January 18, 2008 by kobie

[AngelOfMusic]

If anyone has read Dan Brown's Angels and Demons, there's a storyline of antimatter in that book. Apart from that, i haven't really heard nor have been interested in it. However, you say that this antimatter destroys matter and matter destroys antimatter. Is the earth not matter? In theory, if it came into contact with the earth (i hope i'm not making a fool of myself, i'm not too good on the subject. It fascinates me however) the earth and the cloud of antimatter would destroy each other? So if you think about it, is that how the big bang happened, andif so, perhaps that would be again the end of the universe?

Just a thought.

Best wishes, AoM xx

[:PsYKoTiC:BeHAvIoR:]

If anyone has read Dan Brown's Angels and Demons, there's a storyline of antimatter in that book. Apart from that, i haven't really heard nor have been interested in it. However, you say that this antimatter destroys matter and matter destroys antimatter. Is the earth not matter? In theory, if it came into contact with the earth (i hope i'm not making a fool of myself, i'm not too good on the subject. It fascinates me however) the earth and the cloud of antimatter would destroy each other? So if you think about it, is that how the big bang happened, andif so, perhaps that would be again the end of the universe?

Just a thought.

Best wishes, AoM xx

I get what you mean, it's kind of like fire and ice. Fire melts ice, but the water will extinquish the fire. It all comes down to which element more dominant in terms of mass.

[Teslasparkgap]

Signature of antimatter detected in lightning

Fermi telescope finds evidence that positrons, not just electrons, are in storms on Earth

Fermi telescope finds evidence that positrons, not just electrons, are in storms on Earth

By Ron Cowen

Web edition : Friday, November 6th, 2009

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Antimatter lightningDuring two recent lightning storms, the Fermi telescope found evidence that positrons, not just electrons, are in storms on Earth.Axel Rouvin/Flickr

Washington — Designed to scan the heavens thousands to billions of light-years beyond the solar system for gamma rays, the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has also picked up a shocking vibe from Earth. During its first 14 months of operation, the flying observatory has detected 17 gamma-ray flashes associated with terrestrial storms — and some of those flashes have contained a surprising signature of antimatter.

During two recent lightning storms, Fermi recorded gamma-ray emissions of a particular energy that could have been produced only by the decay of energetic positrons, the antimatter equivalent of electrons. The observations are the first of their kind for lightning storms. Michael Briggs of the University of Alabama in Huntsville announced the puzzling findings November 5 at the 2009 Fermi Symposium.

It’s a surprise to have found the signature of positrons during a lightning storm, Briggs said.

The17 flashes Fermi detected occurred just before, during and immediately after lightning strikes, as tracked by the World Wide Lightning Location Network.

During lightning storms previously observed by other spacecraft, energetic electrons moving toward the craft slowed down and produced gamma rays. The unusual positron signature seen by Fermi suggests that the normal orientation for an electric field associated with a lightning storm somehow reversed, Briggs said. Modelers are now working to figure out how the field reversal could have occurred. But for now, he said, the answer is up in the air.

Recording gamma-ray flashes — which have the potential to harm airplanes in storms — isn’t new. The first were found by NASA’s Compton Gamma-ray Observatory in the early 1990s. NASA’s RHESSI satellite, which primarily looks at X-ray and gamma-ray emissions from the sun, has found some 800 terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, Briggs noted.

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/49288/title/Signature_of_antimatt

In case of those non Relativists that do not believe in anti matter the

only solution of the voltage potential reversal is that lightning is AC

and is an ether pressure wave as Tesla discovered.

[behaviour???]

Science believes that in case of antimatter if there is a positive Behaviour??? and negative Behaviour???(Anti-matter) then upon contact by the two the negative Behaviour??? will shoot of to the space though its final resting place in not yet recognized.

Thanks

B???