What is dark energy? One of science's great mysteries, explained
Dark energy makes up roughly 70% of the universe, yet we know nothing about it.
The accelerating universe as a research area investigates the observed late-time acceleration of cosmic expansion and its implications for fundamental physics and cosmology. It encompasses precise measurements of distance–redshift relations using Type Ia supernovae, baryon acoustic oscillations, and weak gravitational lensing, as well as constraints from cosmic microwave background anisotropies and large-scale structure growth. The field focuses on characterizing dark energy (e.g., cosmological constant, dynamical scalar fields, or modified gravity), determining its equation-of-state parameter and possible evolution, testing general relativity on cosmological scales, and developing theoretical frameworks and numerical simulations to reconcile observational data with models of cosmic expansion history.
Dark energy makes up roughly 70% of the universe, yet we know nothing about it.
Astronomy
Mar 20, 2025
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Dark energy, the mysterious force thought to be driving the ever-faster expansion of the universe, appears to be changing over time, according to new observations released Wednesday.
Astronomy
Mar 20, 2025
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Scientists are homing in on the nature of a mysterious force called dark energy, and nothing short of the fate of the universe hangs in the balance.
Astronomy
Mar 20, 2025
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A new study using the Dark Energy Survey (DES) final datasets suggests potential inconsistencies in the standard cosmological model, known as ΛCDM. If confirmed, these findings could fundamentally alter our understanding ...
Astronomy
Mar 19, 2025
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Gravitational lensing often evokes images of a cosmic funhouse mirror: duplicated galaxies, dramatic arcs and distorted shapes. But the web-like, large-scale structure throughout the universe also bends light in a weaker, ...
Astronomy
Mar 13, 2025
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The universe is ballooning outward at an ever-faster clip under the power of an unknown force dubbed dark energy. One of the major goals for NASA's upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is to help astronomers gather ...
Astronomy
Mar 11, 2025
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Astrophysicists have unearthed a surprising diversity in the ways in which white dwarf stars explode in deep space after assessing almost 4,000 such events captured in detail by a next-gen astronomical sky survey. Their findings ...
Astronomy
Feb 14, 2025
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By looking at light from distant exploding stars called supernovas, in 1998 astronomers discovered the universe isn't just expanding—its expansion is speeding up. But what's behind this acceleration?
Astronomy
Jan 8, 2025
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Galaxies are not islands in the cosmos. While globally the universe expands—driven by the mysterious "dark energy"—locally, galaxies cluster through gravitational interactions, forming the cosmic web held together by dark ...
Astronomy
Jan 7, 2025
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One of the biggest mysteries in science—dark energy—doesn't actually exist, according to researchers looking to solve the riddle of how the universe is expanding.
Astronomy
Dec 20, 2024
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