Dark Matter: The evidence from astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology

TL;DR

This review summarizes the extensive astronomical, astrophysical, and cosmological evidence supporting the existence of dark matter across various cosmic scales, aimed at non-specialists.

Contribution

It compiles and explains the diverse observational evidence for dark matter from multiple astronomical and cosmological contexts, making it accessible to a broad audience.

Findings

Dark matter explains gravitational effects in galaxies and clusters

Evidence spans from galaxy rotation curves to cosmic microwave background

Supports the dark matter paradigm across cosmic scales

Abstract

Dark matter has been introduced to explain many independent gravitational effects at different astronomical scales, in galaxies, groups of galaxies, clusters, superclusters and even across the full horizon. This review describes the accumulated astronomical, astrophysical, and cosmological evidence for dark matter. It is written at a non-specialist level and intended for an audience with little or only partial knowledge of astrophysics or cosmology.