As early as the 1930s, Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky noticed that galaxies in the Coma Cluster were moving far too fast to be held together by visible matter alone. He coined the term "dunkle Materie" (dark matter) to describe the missing mass. Gravitational Lensing
Massive objects warp the space around them, bending light like a lens. By observing how light from distant galaxies is distorted, astronomers can map the "invisible" mass causing the effect, which consistently points to vast reservoirs of dark matter. 🧪 What Could It Be? Dark Matter
Scientists discovered dark matter not by seeing it, but by noticing that the universe's "math" didn't add up without it. Galaxy Rotation Curves As early as the 1930s, Swiss astronomer Fritz