Which discovery by astronomer Vera Rubin helped prove the existence

Subject : Physics

Question: Which discovery by astronomer Vera Rubin helped prove the existence of dark matter?

A) Galaxies exist outside of the Milky Way.

B) The expansion of the universe is accelerating.

C) Galaxies spin faster than they should, based on their visible matter.

D) Gas giants form farther from the Sun, where temperatures are cooler.

Expert Verified Solution: 

The correct answer is

C) Galaxies spin faster than they should, based on their visible matter.

Vera Rubin’s discovery that galaxies spin faster than predicted based on the amount of visible matter they contain was crucial in providing evidence for the existence of dark matter. Her observations showed that the rotation curves of galaxies did not match the expectations based on the visible matter alone, suggesting that an unseen mass, or dark matter, was influencing the galaxy’s rotation. This finding was key in understanding the presence of dark matter in the universe.

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