I’m fascinated by the concept of dark matter and its role in the universe. Can someone explain what dark matter is and how it influences the structure of the universe? Any simple explanations about this mysterious part of cosmology would be really helpful!
Here’s a more concise explanation of dark matter and how it shapes the structure of the universe:
Dark matter is type of matter that cannot be directly seen but whose presence is inferred due to its gravitational effects on visible matter such as galaxies and galaxy clusters. Evidence from the measurements of galactic rotation curves, gravitational lensing, and large-scale universe structure hints that there must be more matter in the universe than what we see.
Dark matter is hypothesized to represent about 27% of the overall mass-energy of the universe, and it is five times more than luminous matter. It acts like the invisible bones that give the galaxies, clusters of galaxies and the cosmic web of filaments and voids, their existence.
The exact nature of dark matter is still unknown but it is a fact that this component plays a vital role in the Standard Cosmological Model known as the Lambda-Cold Dark Matter (ΛCDM) model which is the best to describe the seen universe at large scale. One of the greatest quests of modern cosmology and particle physics is comprehending dark matter, which has the power to untangle the profound laws regulating the universe.