What is dark matter?

Answer 1

no on knows what dark matter is. no more than four percent of dark matter is ordinary matter, but the rest is unknown. there is about six times as much dark matter as ordinary matter, but we can't see it because dark matter interacts with ordinary matter thru gravity and no other way. fritz zwicky discovered the existence of dark matter in 1933.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_matter

Answer 2

Dark matter is any matter in the universe, that when alone, is not luminous and does not shine with light. Almost all of the known matter in the universe is Dark. Not to be consumed with Dark Energy btw., which is some weird opposing force to gravity which may or may not inflate the universe at ever greater speeds :)

Answer 3

I got this answer from en.wikipedia.org

In cosmology, dark matter refers to matter particles, of unknown composition, that do not emit or reflect enough electromagnetic radiation (light) to be detected directly, but whose presence may be inferred from gravitational effects on visible matter such as stars and galaxies. Dark matter explains several anomalous astronomical observations, such as anomalies in the rotational speed of galaxies (the galaxy rotation problem). Estimates of the amount of matter present in galaxies, based on gravitational effects, consistently suggest that there is far more matter than is directly observable.

Answer 4

Dark matter is essentially anti matter. The particles associated with it have equal and opposite charges/spins as "light" matter. Most of this is invisible to the human eye.

Answer 5

In cosmology, dark matter refers to matter particles, of unknown composition, that do not emit or reflect enough electromagnetic radiation (light) to be detected directly, but whose presence may be inferred from gravitational effects on visible matter such as stars and galaxies. Dark matter explains several anomalous astronomical observations, such as anomalies in the rotational speed of galaxies (the galaxy rotation problem). Estimates of the amount of matter present in galaxies, based on gravitational effects, consistently suggest that there is far more matter than is directly observable. The existence of dark matter also resolves a number of seeming inconsistencies in the Big Bang theory, and is crucial for structure formation.

The dark matter component has vastly more mass than the "visible" component of the universe [1]. At present, the density of ordinary baryons and radiation in the universe is estimated to be equivalent to about one hydrogen atom per cubic meter of space. Only about 4% of the total energy density in the universe (as inferred from gravitational effects) can be seen directly. About 22% is thought to be composed of dark matter. The remaining 74% is thought to consist of dark energy, an even stranger component, distributed diffusely in space. [2] Some hard-to-detect baryonic matter (see baryonic dark matter) makes a contribution to dark matter, but constitutes only a small portion [3] [4]. Determining the nature of this missing mass is one of the most important problems in modern cosmology and particle physics. Its urgency is underlined by David B. Cline in a 2003 article in Scientific American, in which he writes: "The terms . . . 'dark matter' and 'dark energy,' serve mainly as expressions of our ignorance", much as the marking of early maps with 'Terra Incognita'.

Answer 6

Dark matter is not antimatter. It is matter that we can see evidence of but cannot see directly. We know it is there because we can see its gravitational effects (stars orbit galaxies faster than they should we we only count the visible matter) but we cannot see it. Because it does not give off light, astro-types call it dark matter.

Answer 7

Scientists think that for every amout of "light matter" or what we can see and observe there has to be an equal amout of "dark matter" that we can not see or observe.

Answer 8

dark thoughts in your gray matter

Answer 9

un seeable matter in the universe

stars and galaxies produce light, so we can see them, however planets, moons, rocks, gases dont.

Answer 10

any matter that does not produce light