Dark Matter May 2026

The exact identity of dark matter remains unknown, though several leading theories exist: The quest for dark matter with Matt Bothwell

Dark matter makes up roughly , dwarfing the "ordinary" matter—stars, planets, and people—which accounts for less than 5%.

Most evidence suggests dark matter is "cold," meaning its particles move slowly relative to the speed of light. 🔭 Key Evidence Dark Matter

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

In the 1970s, astronomer Vera Rubin observed that stars at the edges of spiral galaxies were moving just as fast as those near the center. According to Newtonian physics, they should have been moving much slower or flying off into space unless some unseen mass was holding them in place. Galaxy Clusters The exact identity of dark matter remains unknown,

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?

It provides the "glue" that keeps galaxies from flying apart. He coined the term "dunkle Materie" (dark matter)

It does not interact with electromagnetic forces, meaning it is completely transparent.