missing mass

American  

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 Scientific  

/ mĭs′ĭng /

1. See dark matter

---

Etymology

Origin of missing mass

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

The dark particle that Fornal and Grinstein propose could be the same particle that makes up the cosmos’ missing mass.

From Scientific American • Jan. 29, 2018

The crash produced a new black hole containing 21 times the mass of the sun—the missing mass from the parent black holes was converted to energy in the form of gravitational waves.

From Salon • Jun. 16, 2016

The missing mass times c2 equals the binding energy of the nucleus—the greater the binding energy, the greater the missing mass.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

There is no evidence of any missing mass yet.

From Nature • Jan. 30, 2013

The missing mass has been converted into energy.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland