Dark Matter | Natural Environment Teaching

Dark matter is the enigmatic, invisible substance that constitutes roughly 85% of the universe's matter content. It doesn't emit, absorb, or reflect light, making it undetectable by conventional telescopes. Its existence is inferred solely through its gravitational effects on visible matter, such as the rotation speeds of galaxies and the bending of light around massive objects (gravitational lensing). While its precise nature remains one of physics' greatest mysteries, leading candidates include weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) and axions. Understanding dark matter is crucial for comprehending the formation, structure, and ultimate fate of the universe.