Roughly 80 percent of the mass of the universe appears to be dark matter: an invisible material that seems to interact with ordinary matter only through gravity, without emitting light or energy. Scientists cannot detect dark matter directly and don't yet know what it's made of, but they track its influence based on the motions of stars and galaxies. The presence of dark matter is necessary to explain the universe's current structure.
Related Topics: The Big Bang Theory, Black Holes, The Theory of Relativity in Space, Gravitational Waves
Latest about dark matter
Two major mysteries in science, the nature of dark matter and the possible existence of higher dimensions, could be linked, new research suggests.
"With the launch of the ten-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time, the Rubin Observatory is opening a new window on the universe."
New research has failed to rule out self-annihilating dark matter as the source of a hotly debated gamma-ray emission known as the Galactic Center Excess radiating from the heart of the Milky Way.
A technique called echo mapping suggests supermassive black holes, like that at the heart of the Milky Way, are surrounded by clusters of dark matter.
Scientists think a new framework for quantum gravity could offer clues about a mysterious 5th fundamental force of nature.
Black holes smashing together may churn dark matter "butter," scientists say.
A new recipe of dark matter that interacts with itself could be the solution to three separate and vastly different cosmic puzzles.
The FLAMINGO project helps scientists explore how galaxies, dark matter and cosmic structures evolved over billions of years.
