- 95% of the Universe is not visible to us. We have to infer its properties and its makeup. Gravity and dark energy work together to keep the visible mass balanced and in shape. Dark matter particles do not absorb, reflect, or emit light, so we cannot see them.
- Without dark matter, there would be no galaxies or web superstructures.
- They would fly apart. Dark matter is ubiquitous inside and outside of galaxies and galaxy clusters. A galaxy is most dense at its center. A black hole or two is almost always located there as well. (every bathtub needs a drain). Two hundred million years after the big bang, the first forms of stars and star clusters formed. Over the next few hundred million years, structures appeared, galaxies formed, and clusters. Galaxy clusters can grow to quadrillions of solar masses. Dark matter drives the gravitational growth of the Universe. Cosmic voids appear. Then, even larger structures (galactic superclusters) come along. They are collections of individual, isolated galaxies, galactic groups, and large galaxy clusters. The filaments of the cosmic web connect all (up to100,000 galaxies apiece).
![The flows of nearby galaxies and galaxy clusters (as shown by the 'lines' of flows) are mapped out... [+] with the mass field nearby. The greatest overdensities (in red) and underdensities (in black) came about from very small gravitational differences in the early Universe.](https://i0.wp.com/thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fblogs-images.forbes.com%2Fstartswithabang%2Ffiles%2F2018%2F02%2F2-1200x676-1200x676.jpg?resize=1080%2C608&ssl=1)
- Our neighborhood. Falls within this web.
- Dark matter and gravity keep the visible matter in place:
- Gravitation works to pull all forms of energy together. This causes the material to come together.
- The expanding Universe works to drive all the matter and energy apart.
- The Virgo cluster contains the Milky Way; it links with the Laniakea mega-structure, our local supercluster.
![The Laniakea supercluster, containing the Milky Way (red dot), is home to our Local Group and so... [+] much more. Our location lies on the outskirts of the Virgo Cluster (large white collection near the Milky Way). Despite the deceptive looks of the image, this isn't a real structure, as dark energy will drive most of these clumps apart, fragmenting them as time goes on.](https://i0.wp.com/thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960x0/https%3A%2F%2Fblogs-images.forbes.com%2Fstartswithabang%2Ffiles%2F2017%2F02%2FLaniakea-Supercluster-1401x716.jpg?resize=1080%2C552&ssl=1)
- MATTER PUSH AND PULL:
- Dark energy pushes space outward. The energy from the virtual particles keeps the balloon expanding.
- Dark matter stirred the pot after the big bang. Gas collapsed snd cooled down., Stars were born, followed by galaxies, et al. Dark matter knew how to arrange things, and here we are.
- Neutrinos can’t affect dark matter atoms because they are too small and fast.
- To counteract the gravitational forces caused by matter and radiation, a positive form of energy, a space property, is constantly pushing it outward.
- Upon tipping the scales to dark energy’s dominance over dark matter, expansion of the Universe has sped up, big time. Over time, superclusters will eventually dissociate. The race goes on. These structures are temporary and transient. The expansion of the Universe will break apart these superclusters billions of years from now. They will become faraway islands in the cosmic sea.
- The Universe resembles a cosmic web of matter surrounding empty voids. The web’s walls are the thickest threads. Magistratures such as the Sloan Great Wall (a galaxy filament) are a massive formation of galaxies that form a border between the empty spaces of cosmic voids. Gravitational lensing is caused by a gravitational field that distorts and magnifies the light from distant galaxies.
- .Quasars light space up with a brightness that is a trillion times brighter than a standard star. Let there be light.
- Particles move at their own chosen speed. Their mass and temperature dictate their speed. Gas particles have the highest kinetic energy and travel the fastest. Liquid particles shake and come in 2nd place. And solid particles jiggle but don’t budge.
- Supersymmetry doubles the number of particles in the standard model. Each particle has a partner particle, with a spin that differs by half a unit. Supersymmetry extends the standard model. So fermions and vice versa accompany bosons.
