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Physics LibreTexts

Rotation Curves

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Evidence of dark matter has been confirmed through the study of rotation curves. To make a rotation curve one calculates the rotational velocity of e.g. stars along the length of a galaxy by measuring their Doppler shifts, and then plots this quantity versus their respective distance away from the center.

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Figure 1: The rotation curve for the galaxy NGC3198 from Begeman 1989

Contributors and Attributions

  • Martin White (Physics, University of California, Berkeley)


Rotation Curves is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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