Dark matter exists in our galaxy after all

In “Crisis averted: Dark matter was there all along” (New Scientist, 23 May 2012), Lisa Grossman reports,

Fans of dark matter can rest easy. A study published last month raised eyebrows by suggesting that our cosmic neighbourhood is empty of the extra mass needed to hold the galaxy together. But a re-analysis shows that the dark matter was there all along.

… the team made a subtle error, say Jo Bovy and Scott Tremaine of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey.

So if you insist on doing the universe’s bookkeeping, you will not spend the summer at the cottage fretting about this … for now.