• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Space / How Much Matter Exists In the Universe and How Is the Mass of the Universe Determined By Observation?

How Much Matter Exists In the Universe and How Is the Mass of the Universe Determined By Observation?

May 13, 2020 by Karen Hill

Since the force of gravity relates precisely to the mass of an object, we can estimate the mass of the universe by observing the forces of gravity in the universe.

We also can add up the known mass of different atoms and particles in the universe.

The problem is that when astronomers add up the mass of all the objects they can see and all the objects they can’t see but know exist, they still come up short.

We can only account for about 6 or 7 percent of the mass we know is needed for the universe to behave the way it does.

The mass we haven’t yet found is called dark matter.

Related Facts

  • What Type of Matter Exists Between Galactic Superclusters and Why Is Dark Matter Undetectable By Astronomers?
  • What Is Dark Matter, Where Does Dark Matter Come From, and What Is Dark Matter Made Of?
  • Which Astronomers Besides Vera Rubin Have Suggested That Missing Matter Exists In the Universe?
  • Is the Earth Gaining Mass From Meteorites Or Losing Mass When Spacecraft Are Launched Into Space?
  • Who Discovered Conservation of Matter and the law of conservation of mass and When?
  • What Is Dark Matter and How Did Vera Cooper Rubin's Work On Galaxies Lead To the Discovery of Dark Matter?

Filed Under: Space

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « What Is a Galaxy, What Are Galaxies Made Of, and Do Galaxies Have Black Holes At the Center?
Next Post: What Is the Cosmological Constant and Why Did Albert Einstein Abandon the Theory? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy