Tag: Universe
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What is Dark Matter?
The largest contribution to the mass of the universe is believed to come from dark matter (i.e. matter that we can’t see). This dark matter is inferred to exist from studies of the motion of outlying stars, orbiting galaxies, the motion of galaxy clusters and from images formed by gravitational lenses (composed of clusters of…
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The Bending of Starlight as Predicted by Einstein
Light falls in a gravitational field, for instance, a laser beam fired horizontally across a room will be closer to the ground on the side where it hits the far wall than it was when it left the laser. Likewise, a ray of light that is passing over a massive object like the sun will…
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What is a Black Hole?
A black hole can be described as an area of space where the gravity is so strong that nothing, including light or other electromagnetic waves has enough energy to escape it. In varied ways, a black hole acts like an ideal black body, as it reflects no light. Black holes are thought to form when…