missing mass

noun

, Astrophysics.

1. the difference in mass in the universe between that observed to exist and that necessary for the closed universe model.

missing mass

/ mĭs′ĭng /

1. See dark matter

Word History and Origins

Origin of missing mass¹

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

More massive systems such as galaxy clusters— where Fritz Zwicky first posited dark matter’s existence and coined its name—show evidence for missing mass even though their acceleration tends to be above the threshold scale in MOND.

From Scientific American

The discrepancy was dubbed “the missing mass problem,” but many scientists at the time doubted Zwicky's suggestion that hidden matter might be to blame.

From Scientific American

If confirmed, the axions that may have been detected wouldn’t fix the asymmetries in the strong force or explain most of the missing mass in the universe, said Kai Martens, a physicist at the University of Tokyo who worked on the experiment.

From Scientific American

Prof Dave Tappin and colleagues realised they had to investigate the island volcano's missing mass - now under the ocean's surface - or they would never truly get a full description of Anak Krakatau's failure.

From BBC

He called the missing mass “dark matter.”

From Scientific American