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What is dark matter & dark energy?
Why is dark matter important?
Does dark matter interact with normal matter?
Does dark matter have gravity?
Is there a lot of dark matter?
How much dark matter makes up the universe?
In astronomy, dark matter is a hypothetical form of matter that does not interact with light or other electromagnetic radiation. Dark matter is implied by gravitational effects which cannot be explained by general relativity unless more matter is present than can be observed.
Dark energy makes up approximately 68% of the universe and appears to be associated with the vacuum in space. It is distributed evenly throughout the universe, not only in space but also in time – in other words, its effect is not diluted as the universe expands.
Oct 1, 2024 · dark matter, a component of the universe whose presence is discerned from its gravitational attraction rather than its luminosity. Dark matter makes up 30.1 percent of the matter -energy composition of the universe; the rest is dark energy (69.4 percent) and “ordinary” visible matter (0.5 percent). Originally known as the “missing mass ...
- Adam Riess
Oct 11, 2024 · Dark matter is that invisible glue that keeps stars, dust, and gas together in a galaxy. This mysterious substance makes up the majority of a galaxy's mass and forms the foundation of our Universe's structure. Dark matter is still one of the greatest mysteries of science. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Dark matter makes up most of the mass of galaxies and galaxy clusters, and is responsible for the way galaxies are organized on grand scales. Dark energy, meanwhile, is the name we give the mysterious influence driving the accelerated expansion of the universe.
Matter is defined as any substance that has mass and occupies space. But there’s more to the universe than the matter we can see. Dark matter and dark energy are mysterious substances that affect and shape the cosmos, and scientists are still trying to figure them out. Learn more.
If dark matter is invisible, how do we know it exists? While dark matter doesn’t interact with normal matter in most cases, it does affect it gravitationally (which is how it was first discovered decades ago), so we can map its presence by looking at clusters of galaxies, the most massive structures in the universe.
