A hypothetical form of matter that does not emit, absorb, or reflect electromagnetic radiation, making it invisible to telescopes but detectable through its gravitational effects. It comprises approximately 27% of the universe's mass-energy content.
The term was coined by astronomer Fritz Zwicky in 1933 when he observed that galaxy clusters moved too fast to be held together by visible matter alone. 'Dark' refers to its electromagnetic invisibility, while 'matter' indicates it has mass and gravitational influence.
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