View Single Post
  #18 (permalink)  
Old 17-June-2006, 05:18 PM
Nereid Nereid is offline
Order of Kilopi
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 10,942
Default Chunking the answer

The observational evidence for (cold, non-baryonic) dark matter can be grouped under the following headings (in the order I propose to address them):

- rich clusters (radial velocity dispersion of member galaxies, the Sunyaez-Zel'dovich effect, (strong) gravitational lensing, X-ray observations)

- galaxy halos (weak lensing, derived orbits of luminous objects in or just outside)

- (spiral) galaxy rotation curves

- CDM in, and near, the Milky Way (really a subset of galaxy rotation curves, but because it's so local, I'll treat it separately)

- poor clusters, galaxy groups (radial velocity dispersions, derived orbits of luminous objects in or near)

- large-scale structure and the CMB (observations provide indirect support for CDM).

If I have missed significant set of observations, that provide direct evidence of CDM, please add.
Reply With Quote