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Q:
Could the supermassive black holes discovered at the center of
nearly all visible galaxies possibly make up for the lack of
mass observed in the universe? And since so little is know about
the interior regions of a black hole, where the majority of
physics and mathematics may not even be applicable, could the
computations of the mass of these large bodies be
miscalculated?
A:
It does not seem possible that supermassive black holes in the
centers of galaxies can account for the dark matter, for two
reasons. First, research over the past few years has shown that
the mass of the supermassive black holes at the centers of
galaxies is less than a percent of the mass of their host
galaxy. Secondly, the distribution of the dark matter is not
consistent with a central massive object. In order to explain
the motions of the stars and galaxies, it must be spread out
throughout the individual galaxies, and beyond, so that a more
appropriate view would be of a galaxy embedded in a large
invisible ball of dark matter.
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