DARK MATTER AND DARK ENERGY

 Planets, stars, asteroids, galaxies – the things that we can actually see – constitute less than 5% of the total universe. So what makes up the rest? There in lies the mystery. 

Dark matter is the name we give to all the mass in the universe that remains invisible, and there’s a whole lot of it. That mysterious substance known as dark matter. We can’t see it, we don’t understand it, but we know it’s out there. 

And we also give the name Dark matter for all the mass in the universe that we can’t detect. So how do we know dark matter exists if we can’t detect it? Well, the short answer is that whilst we can’t see dark matter, we can see its effects. 

  

So, How do we know dark matter is real? 

We will try understand it, with its effects. 

1. Dark matter is EVERYWHERE 

Planets, stars, asteroids, galaxies – the things that we can actually see – constitute less than 5% of the total universe. So what makes up the rest? There in lies the mystery. 

And the thing is, 

2.It’s completely invisible 

Like,  

Dark matter is really hard to study, because we have no way of seeing it. This weird substance doesn’t interact with light, so it’s totally invisible. 

So how do we know it exists? Well, because it affects the universe in strange ways; and that’s something we can see. 

First point, 

3. Dark matter binds galaxies together: 

Scientists have worked out that the universe behaves as though it contains a great deal more ‘stuff’ than it appears to. For instance, galaxies rotate within space at vast speeds – so fast that they really ought to be thrown apart. And yet, they remain intact. For fast-moving galaxies to stay together, they need a lot of gravitational force.  

All matter exerts this force – it’s what pulls objects towards one another. But as far as we can see, there simply isn’t enough in the way of planets, stars, and other matter to produce the gravitational force necessary to mesh galaxies together. And so scientists think there may be vast quantities of ‘dark’ matter – invisible to the human eye – that exerts enough gravitational force to hold everything in its place. 

ie. Galaxies are ‘meshed’ together 

4. It distorts the appearance of space 

We can also see the effects of dark matter simply by looking up at the sky. When astronomers observe distant galaxies, they often appear stretched and oddly shaped. 

This effect is known as ‘gravitational lensing, and it’s caused by dark matter’s gravitational force. This force is so huge that it physically bends the light around galaxies, distorting their appearance. 

In fact, some of the best evidence that we have for the existence of dark matter are observations of the Bullet Cluster. This is actually two galaxies colliding – with gravitational lensing distorting our view of the galaxies behind 

them. All this suggests that invisible, dark matter might be contributing to the gravitational force, thus making galaxies appear more distorted than they otherwise would be! 

Next, 

6. We don’t know what dark matter is made of: 

In order to work out what dark matter might be, we first need to understand what it isn’t. 

It’s not ‘normal’ matter, We know that it’s not planets or stars or galaxies because unlike the normal matter they are comprised of, dark matter doesn’t emit, reflect or absorb light; it is invisible. 

Next, 

We also know that dark matter is not the same thing as antimatter. Antimatter particles are like mirror images of normal particles – when a normal particle collides with an antimatter particle, both are destroyed, releasing energy in the process. But astronomers have found no evidence that dark matter behaves in the same way. If all of what we term ‘dark matter’ were, in fact, antimatter, we would see traces of destruction everywhere, and would detect the energy released from antimatter collisions all over space.  

Next, They can’t be ‘normal’ black holes: Finally, we know that dark matter is not simply a collection of black holes created by collapsing stars. 

Because they are so violent, black holes distort the appearance of space. No stars, planets, or anything can exist close-by; even light itself is consumed. Dark matter doesn’t behave in the same way – it appears to hold things together, rather than tear them apart. Indeed, because dark matter makes up so much of the universe, if it did behave like a black hole, space would look very different. 

So, the conclusion is: 

It could be an exotic particle Or maybe just plain old gravity.(these may or not be true as its not proven yet!) 

 

So how are people studying about this dark matter which seems to be mystery for years? 

 

1. Spaceships are hunting for signs 

So is dark matter a particle or a consequence of gravity? Well, we don’t know, and more research is needed before either theory can be proved true or false. 

If dark matter particles exist, then they should occasionally collide with one another: an interaction that produces radiation. And so spacecraft have been fitted with advanced detectors to search for signs of this radiation. Some interesting results have cropped up, but the search for hard evidence is still on. 

2. Some countries have dark matter labs hidden deep, deep underground 

If hard evidence for dark matter is ever found, it will be in the form of very small, subtle effects. And so, in order to detect these tiny signals, scientists have developed dark matter laboratories deep underground, far from the effects of overpowering background noise. 

In the UK, there’s Boulby Underground Laboratory: a dark matter lab in North Yorkshire, located over 1,000 metres below the Earth’s surface. And other similar facilities exist across the globe, from Canada to Australia. 

 

Science is relentless, and so the hunt for dark matter will continue. And it’s vital that we do keep up the search. Dark matter holds the key to all sorts of secrets about the universe. Ultimately, everything we see around us, everything we’ve ever known could have been shaped in some way by this 

enigma. Amidst all the unknowns, one thing is for certain: dark matter may be good at hiding, but hopefully it’s no match for the curiosity of the human spirit. Thanks to our unrelenting drive to explore, to discover and to understand, we’ll never stop hunting for answers.