About
Dark matter is an unknown form of matter that does not interact with light or electromagnetism — making it invisible — but has gravitational effects that are essential to explaining the structure of galaxies and the universe. Galaxies rotate in ways that can only be explained if vast halos of invisible matter surround them; without dark matter, galaxies would fly apart.
Dark matter makes up about 27% of the universe's total mass-energy content; ordinary matter (stars, planets, gas) makes up only 5%. Despite decades of searching, no dark matter particle has been directly detected. The leading candidates include WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles) and axions.
# Top 10 Dark Matter facts
- 1Dark matter makes up 27% of the universe but has never been directly detected
- 2Galaxies would fly apart without dark matter's gravitational glue — but we don't know what dark matter is
- 3Every galaxy appears to have a dark matter halo 10-100x more massive than its visible stars
Fascinating Facts
- ◆Dark matter makes up 27% of the universe but has never been directly detected
- ◆Galaxies would fly apart without dark matter's gravitational glue — but we don't know what dark matter is
- ◆Every galaxy appears to have a dark matter halo 10-100x more massive than its visible stars
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