massive compact halo object

English

Alternative forms

• massive astronomical compact halo object
• massive astrophysical compact halo object
• massive and compact halo object

Etymology

Perhaps coined with the acronym, MACHO, in mind. See also WIMP, which represents a competing hypothesis.

Noun

massive compact halo object (plural massive compact halo objects)

1. (astronomy, physics) Any kind of astronomical body comprising normal baryonic matter that in sufficient numbers might explain the apparent presence of dark matter in galaxy halos.

Synonyms

• MACHO (abbreviation)

Hypernyms

• dark matter (non-luminous matter needed to balance the orbital speeds observed in stars in galaxies with the observed luminous mass of the galaxy in question)

Coordinate terms

• weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP)
• strongly interacting massive particle (SIMP)
• robust associations of massive baryonic objects (RAMBO)

Derived terms

• MACHO (abbreviation)

Translations

astronomical body

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 暈族大質量緻密天體／晕族大质量致密天体 (yūnzú dàzhìliàng zhìmì tiāntǐ)

• Finnish: massiivinen kompakti halo-objekti