Dark Matter Explained: Evidence from Galaxy Rotation, Gravitational Lensing, and the CMB

Overview

The Royal Institution talk discusses a bold idea: most of the universe is made of something invisible called dark matter. Using gravity as a weighing tool, the speaker guides the audience through how we infer unseen mass from the motion of stars and the bending of light.

Key Evidence

From flat galaxy rotation curves to strong and weak gravitational lensing, as well as the cosmic microwave background baby picture, the talk weaves together multiple lines of evidence that dark matter is real. It also surveys dark matter candidates and the experimental challenges in detecting them, ending with the sense that the mystery remains one of modern science’s biggest frontiers.