How do you explain dark matter to a child?
What is dark matter? Dark matter is stuff in space that has gravity, but it is unlike anything scientists have ever seen before. Together, dark matter and dark energy make up 95% of the universe. That only leaves a small 5% for all the matter and energy we know and understand.
What is the theory of relativity explanation for kids?
Albert Einstein developed the theory of relativity, a scientific explanation about how space relates to time. Special relativity says that motion is always relative and that space and time exist in relation to each other.
What is dark matter in simple terms?
Astronomers know more about what dark matter is not than what it is. Dark matter is dark: It emits no light and cannot be seen directly, so it cannot be stars or planets. Dark matter is not clouds of normal matter: Normal matter particles are called baryons.
How do we know dark matter exists for kids?
We can detect the dark matter through gravitational lensing, which detects shifts in light produced by distant celestial objects [5]. The bright spots outside the colored areas are stars and galaxies that are not part of the Bullet Cluster (Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/CfA/ M.
Why is dark matter important?
Dark Matter Facts Dark matter played an important role in the formation of galaxies. Researchers use astronomical surveys to build maps of the location of dark matter in the universe based on how the light from distant galaxies bends as it travels to us.
Does dark matter hold the universe together?
In short, dark matter slows down the expansion of the universe, while dark energy speeds it up. Dark matter works like an attractive force — a kind of cosmic cement that holds our universe together. This is because dark matter does interact with gravity, but it doesn’t reflect, absorb or emit light.
What does the theory of relativity tell us?
The theory explains the behavior of objects in space and time, and it can be used to predict everything from the existence of black holes, to light bending due to gravity, to the behavior of the planet Mercury in its orbit. The implications of Einstein’s most famous theory are profound.
How is dark matter formed?
The phenomenon is called gravitational lensing. By studying how light is distorted by galaxy clusters, astronomers have been able to create a map of dark matter in the universe. A vast majority of the astronomical community today accepts that dark matter exists.
What are characteristics of dark matter?
Unlike normal matter, dark matter does not interact with the electromagnetic force. This means it does not absorb, reflect or emit light, making it extremely hard to spot. In fact, researchers have been able to infer the existence of dark matter only from the gravitational effect it seems to have on visible matter.
What does dark matter do to humans?
In theory, macros could directly interact with physical objects such as human bodies, causing “significant damage,” according to the new study titled “Death by Dark Matter.” Damage from such a collision would be comparable to a gunshot wound, the researchers wrote.
How is dark matter created?