Dark matter is one of the most fascinating and enigmatic of all the known matter ingredients of the universe. Dark matter is quite different from the normal matter which constitutes stars, planets and everything else we can see – it does not emit, absorb or reflect any light and therefore cannot be directly observed in the universe.

Although it is hard to detect, dark matter is estimated to account for about 27% of the mass/energy density of the universe, dwarfing the rest.

Its existence is deduced from a variety of astronomical phenomena or the effects of these phenomena, including the galactic rotation curves, the gravitational lensing, and the cosmic microwave background. These observations point towards the fact that dark matter is important in binding thegalaxies and in determining the largest structures in the universe. But it’s very nature remains uncertain.

Some proposals for a dark matter particle include WIMPs, axions, and sterile neutrinos but none of these candidates of dark matter has been proved.

The hunt for dark matter is still widely popular nowadays as an actual investigation of astrophysics and particle physics as the discovery of this substance, which could unveil a signal of deeper mechanisms governing the universe.