Why is dark matter considered essential for the stability of galaxies like the Milky Way?
Answer
It provides the gravitational force to keep them from flying apart
Dark matter is an invisible substance that provides the necessary gravitational mass to hold galaxies together. The rotational speeds of stars at the outer edges of galaxies are so high that without the additional gravitational scaffold provided by a dark matter halo, the galaxies would lack the cohesion required to prevent their components from scattering into space.
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