The missing puzzle piece of the universe
The ultimate shield against cosmic noise
Laboratories at the ends of the Earth
The high-tech traps for invisible prey
YOUR GOAL
Master of Why scientists hunt dark matter deep underground
play_review Dark matter
Deep in the dark, deep in the dark / Waiting for a ghost to leave a spark.
play_review Astronomer Vera Rubin proved dark matter's existence by measuring how fast outer stars orbit.
play_review Shield detectors from cosmic rays to discover why scientists hunt dark matter deep underground.
Invisible mass: If you removed all dark matter from our Milky Way galaxy, our solar system would fly off into deep space because there wouldn't be enough gravity to hold us.
A hypothetical form of matter that does not absorb, reflect, or emit light, detectable only by its gravitational influence. In the 1970s, astronomer Vera Rubin provided robust evidence of this substance by studying galactic rotation curves.
What percentage of the universe's total mass and energy is made of normal matter like stars and planets?
Which galaxy did Vera Rubin famously analyze to show that outer stars orbit unexpectedly fast?
What is the term for normal matter made of protons and neutrons, which dark matter is NOT?
What makes up the largest portion (around 68%) of the universe's total energy and mass?
What force allows us to detect the presence of dark matter across the universe?
Which astronomer's 1970s study of galaxy rotation curves provided the first robust evidence for dark matter?
Who first used the term 'dark matter' in the 1930s to describe the missing mass in galaxy clusters?