Endless Facts, One Snippet at a Time
Dark Energy: The Mystery Accelerating the Universe’s Expansion
- Dark energy makes up about 68% of the universe, driving its accelerated expansion.
- Unlike matter, dark energy repels gravity, pushing galaxies apart faster over time.
- Its discovery in 1998 earned the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics for revealing cosmic acceleration.
- Dark energy’s nature remains unknown, making it one of the biggest mysteries in physics.
- The “cosmological constant” is one leading explanation, representing energy inherent to space itself.
- Observations of distant supernovae provide key evidence for dark energy’s influence.
- Dark energy affects the fate of the universe, potentially leading to a “Big Freeze” or other scenarios.
- Its effects are subtle locally but dominate the universe on the largest cosmic scales.
- Studying dark energy helps scientists understand the universe’s expansion history and structure.
- Unlocking dark energy could revolutionize physics, offering insights into space, time, and the cosmos itself.