Dark matter explained to kids

Dark matter is an invisible substance that makes up most of the matter in the universe. It cannot be seen with telescopes, but we know it exists because of the way it interacts with other matter. Dark matter is different from the matter that we can see, like the planets and stars. We call this visible matter "ordinary matter." Dark matter does not emit or absorb light, so it is very hard to detect. Scientists believe that dark matter makes up about 27% of the universe. The rest is made up of what we call "dark energy." We do not yet know what dark energy is, but we think it is a force that is making the universe expand. Some scientists think that dark matter is made up of very small, dense objects called "black holes." Other scientists think that dark matter is made up of "neutrinos," which are tiny particles that have no electrical charge. We are not sure what dark matter is made of, but we know it exists because of the way it interacts with other matter. For example, we can see the way dark matter bends the light of distant galaxies. We can also see the way dark matter affects the movement of galaxies. Scientists are still trying to understand dark matter. We have not yet been able to directly observe dark matter, but we are learning more about it every day.