Dark matter makes up roughly , dwarfing the "ordinary" matter—stars, planets, and people—which accounts for less than 5%.
Scientists discovered dark matter not by seeing it, but by noticing that the universe's "math" didn't add up without it. Galaxy Rotation Curves Dark Matter
It provides the "glue" that keeps galaxies from flying apart. Dark matter makes up roughly , dwarfing the
It does not interact with electromagnetic forces, meaning it is completely transparent. It does not interact with electromagnetic forces, meaning
Massive objects warp the space around them, bending light like a lens. By observing how light from distant galaxies is distorted, astronomers can map the "invisible" mass causing the effect, which consistently points to vast reservoirs of dark matter. 🧪 What Could It Be?
As early as the 1930s, Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky noticed that galaxies in the Coma Cluster were moving far too fast to be held together by visible matter alone. He coined the term "dunkle Materie" (dark matter) to describe the missing mass. Gravitational Lensing
Most evidence suggests dark matter is "cold," meaning its particles move slowly relative to the speed of light. 🔭 Key Evidence