MOND

Science & Engineering abbreviation · Astronomy & Space

MOND
Stands forModified Newtonian dynamics
CategoriesScience & Engineering

MOND stands for Modified Newtonian dynamics, an astronomy & Space abbreviation.

Alternative to dark matter proposed by Mordehai Milgrom in 1983, in which gravity behaves differently at extremely low accelerations, around 10^-10 meters per second squared. MOND reproduces the rotation curves of many galaxies without invisible matter but struggles with galaxy clusters and the cosmic microwave background.

Example: Supporters argue MOND predicted the tight relation between visible mass and rotation speed in spiral galaxies.

Usage notes

Most cosmologists favor dark matter, but MOND remains an active area of debate, and relativistic versions have been developed to match more observations. Wide binary star tests published in the 2020s have produced conflicting results.

More astronomy & Space abbreviations

  • LSST – Legacy Survey of Space and Time
  • ly – Light-year
  • M – Messier object
  • MACHO – Massive compact halo object
  • MECO – Main engine cutoff
  • MEO – Medium Earth orbit
  • Mpc – Megaparsec
  • NEA – Near-Earth asteroid
  • NEO – Near-Earth object
  • NGC – New General Catalogue
  • NS – Neutron star
  • pc – Parsec

See all 83 astronomy & Space abbreviations →

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