Re: Ummm... Dark matter? Huge black holes?
I am not an astrophysicist either. Nor even an astrologer.
But if I understand correctly, observations indicate that dark matter is superimposed on galaxies in a way that requires it to be pretty evenly distributed amongst and beyond the stars and gas blobs and whatnot which make up the visible galaxy. Black holes, being very compact and centralized masses, don't seem likely candidates for something which appears to be widespread and relatively tenuous.
However, Massive Astrophysical Compact Halo Objects -- dark MACHOs like black holes and failed stars -- have been proposed as an explanation for dark matter, so despite your disclaimer of not being an expert, you were very close on the mark which some researchers aimed at!
The bad news is that careful searches have failed to turn up the MACHO objects in the area where gravitational effects say there is a halo of dark matter.
See this essay by Ann Martin of Cornell for a better answer.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
