Dark matter, an elusive and invisible substance, makes up about 27 percent of the universe’ mass. Unlike ordinary matter, dark matter does not emit, absorb, or reflect light, making it undetectable by conventional telescopes. Its existence is inferred from its gravitational effects on visible matter, such as stars and galaxies.
Evidence of dark matter emerged in the 1930s when astronomer Fritz Zwicky saw that galaxies in clusters were moving faster than expected. In the 1970s, Vera Rubin's work on galaxy rotation curves provided further support. She found that stars at the edges of galaxies were rotating as fast as those near the center, which defied Newtonian physics unless an unseen mass was present.
Despite extensive research, the composition of dark matter remains a mystery. Scientists have proposed candidates like weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) and axions, but none have been conclusively detected. Advanced experiments and observations continue to search for dark matter particles and aim to understand their properties. If successful, discovering dark matter's true nature could revolutionize our understanding of the universe's structure and evolution. Until then, it remains an enigma that challenges scientists to push the boundaries of knowledge and technology.
