What observational phenomenon involving light bending reveals the gravitational mass of clusters exceeds visible matter?
Answer
Gravitational lensing
Gravitational lensing is the phenomenon where the path of light bends as it passes near massive objects due to their strong gravitational field warping spacetime. Observations utilizing gravitational lensing around massive galaxy clusters have demonstrated that the total gravitational mass required to produce the observed degree of light bending far surpasses the mass accounted for by all the stars, gas, and dust that can be directly seen (luminous matter). This discrepancy provides critical evidence for the presence of unseen mass required to hold the structures together.
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What Force Binds A Galaxy Together? - Physics Frontier - YouTube
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