dark matter

noun

Meaning

Hypothetical form of matter that does not emit, absorb, or reflect light, making it invisible to telescopes, yet detectable through its gravitational effects on visible matter.

Examples

  • The existence of dark matter was proposed to explain why galaxies rotate faster than expected.
  • Researchers are using underground detectors to catch rare interactions between dark matter and normal atoms.

Synonyms: invisible mass, non-baryonic matter, missing mass, dark sector