MACHO-96-BLG-5

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/macho-96-blg-5

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the object classification?Massive Astrophysical Compact Halo Object (MACHO)
2. What is the galactic location?Inhabits the halo of the Milky Way galaxy
3. How was MACHO-96-BLG-5 discovered?Scientists used gravitational microlensing: when MACHO-96-BLG-5 passed between Earth and a distant star, its gravity bent the star’s light and made the star look brighter for a short time.
4. Why do scientists study MACHO-96-BLG-5?Studying it helps astronomers learn about dark matter, the invisible stuff that pulls on galaxies, and shows whether these heavy objects might make up part of that dark mass.

MACHO: Massive Astrophysical Compact Halo Object; a non-luminous, massive entity in a galaxy's halo.
Galactic Halo: The diffuse, spherical region surrounding a spiral galaxy's disk, containing dark matter and sparse stellar populations.
Gravitational Microlensing: The temporary magnification of a background light source due to the gravitational field of an intervening massive object.
Dark Matter: A hypothetical form of matter comprising a significant portion of the universe's mass, detectable only through its gravitational effects.