The Mysterious Universe

When we stargaze at the night sky, we see stars, planets and galaxies. But, did you know that all of the astral wonders form 5% of the universe? The rest of the 5% is a complete mystery, that’s made out of two mystery forces, dark matter and dark energy.

Dark Matter: A clear substance that holds galaxies together
Dark Energy: Is a force that makes the universe expand faster           

These forces are important to the universe’s existence as the very stars we appreciate, but they remain the most perplexing events in science. Let’s look at how these invisible forces  shape the universe, and why scientists are still grasping to understand them.                             

 

 

What is Dark Matter

Dark matter is an invisible substance, we can’t see, touch or interact with it. Actually, it doesn’t radiate any light of energy. So, why are we sure that it exists? Simple, it’s due to gravity on everything that’s around it. It holds galaxies together and makes them revolve in ways that just couldn’t be possible if we relied on visible matter alone.

How Do We Know It’s There?

• Galaxies Spin To Fast: Galaxies rotate way too fast, they should fly apart, but something holds them together
• Light Bending: Light from far away galaxies curves around dark matters
• Dark Matter Structure : Dark matter reacts as a framework that helps form galaxies

 

What Is Dark Matter Made Of?

Scientists aren’t quite sure about this. Some concepts are:
Weakly Interacting Massive Particles: Imaginary particles that could make up dark matter 

Axions: Small particles that could explain dark matter’s weird effects

Primordial Black Holes: Tiny black holes that are left over from early universe

But, for the time being, dark matters continues to be one of the biggest mysteries in science

What Is Dark Energy

In 1998, astronomers found something unexpected: the universe’s growth is speeding up instead of slowing down. This surprise led to the term dark energy. But, what really is dark energy, and how does it work? 

Dark energy is the force that’s accountable for the fast expansion of the universe. It’s invisible just like dark matter, but the effects are undeniable.

How Do We Know It’s There?

• Distant supernovae looks lighter than it does, meaning the universe growth has sped up
• The cosmic microwave background shows proof of horrible energy in space
• The broad structure of the universe matches the predictions that dark energy exists.

What Is Dark Energy?

While scienctsist don’t have all the answers to this, here are some possibilites 

Vacuum Energy: A attribute of empty space that makes a steady force
A New Force of Nature: Scientists think that dark energy could be a new fundamental force
A Breakdown in Einstein’s Equations: What if our thinking of gravity isn’t complete

But, no matter how we look at it, dark energy is one of the biggest mysteries in cosmology, and answering it might change everything on how we understand the laws of the universe.

How Do Scientists Study Dark Matter & Dark Energy?

Although, we can’t see dark matter and dark energy, scientists are busy working to study them using tools:

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory (Launching 2025): This is a new telescope designed to map dark matters across the universe

The Euclid Space Telescope (Launched 2023): This is a space mission that focused on revealing mysteries of dark energy

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC): Scientist are breaking particles together to see if they can make dark matter particles

What I Learned This Week

This week, I’ve come to the realization of how little we actually know about the universe. The stars, planets, and galaxies we see display just a small part of the cosmos. Dark matter is holding galaxies together, while dark energy is pushing everything apart. In spite of all of this technological progress, we still have absolutely no idea what these forces are.

Do you think we will ever unlock the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy? Or are these mysteries meant to remain unresolved?