The universe is mostly made of something we cannot see
In short: We perceive the universe as a collection of glowing stars and galaxies, but this is merely the foam on top of a much deeper ocean. Evidence suggests that about 85% of the universe's matter is invisible, interacting with our world only through the pull of gravity.
In the late 1970s, astronomer Vera Rubin observed a phenomenon that defied established physics. While studying the Andromeda galaxy, she noticed that stars in the outer rims were moving just as fast as those near the center. According to Newton’s laws of universal gravitation, these outer stars should move slower because the gravitational pull weakens with distance. The only explanation for this high velocity was the existence of a massive amount of unseen matter providing extra gravity.
This confirmed a 1933 hypothesis by Fritz Zwicky: the universe is dominated by 'Dark Matter.' This substance emits no light or radiation and does not interact with ordinary matter in any detectable way except through gravity. It is so pervasive that it accounts for at least six times the mass of all visible matter—including all stars, planets, and gas. We can only infer its presence by observing how its immense gravity bends light and dictates the motion of galaxies.
Recent data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has added a new layer of complexity to our understanding of 'hidden' mass. Researchers studying nine mature galaxies in the early universe found they were three to four times more massive than previously estimated. By analyzing light spectra, they discovered a hidden population of small, faint stars concealed by a few rare, bright ones—much like houses hidden between skyscrapers. These findings challenge the long-held assumption that stars formed in uniform proportions across the cosmos.
Together, these discoveries reveal a universe where the majority of reality is hidden from our senses. Whether it is the vast, invisible scaffolding of dark matter or the billions of dim stars tucked away in distant galaxies, our current instruments are essentially blind to the true scale of the cosmos.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: More Massive Than All Stars and Galaxies Combined
- Also: JWST finds early galaxies may be 4 times more massive than thought | ScienceDaily
- Also: 'Hidden stars' suggest that distant galaxies are much more massive than they appear
- Also: Hidden stars suggest that distant galaxies are more massive than they appear | Penn State University
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