Dark Energy: The Force Driving Expansion Faster

  1. Dark energy makes up about 68% of the universe—yet its nature remains a mystery.
  2. It was discovered in the late 1990s when astronomers found the universe’s expansion is accelerating.
  3. Unlike gravity, which pulls matter together, dark energy pushes space apart.
  4. Type Ia supernovae—stellar explosions used as “standard candles”—revealed its existence.
  5. Dark energy may be a property of space itself, linked to Einstein’s cosmological constant.
  6. It dominates the cosmic energy budget, outweighing both dark matter and normal matter.
  7. Its strength appears uniform across the universe, acting everywhere at once.
  8. The fate of the universe depends on dark energy’s nature—endless expansion or something stranger.
  9. It remains one of science’s greatest puzzles, uniting cosmology, physics, and quantum theory.
  10. Every galaxy racing away faster is a silent clue to dark energy’s invisible power.