This stuff is way, way over my head. And probably most of humanity right now. In this moment I can feel some envy and admiration towards whoever is around to understand the great breakthroughs we may one day have on this matter.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (6 children)

Coles notes: scientists made calculations on the universe and it didn't make sense because the math says there should be more mass and energy than what they know exists. So they called the missing mass dark matter and the missing energy, dark energy.

Now some guy in Ottawa figured out better math that doesn't need the "dark" stuff to make the math make sense.

[–] ApatheticCactus 9 points 8 months ago (1 children)

My understanding of dark energy is a little different. As I understand it, we figured gravity pulls things together, right? So everything should be kinda slowly falling back together from the big bang. It was theorized to end in a 'big crunch' where the universe collapses back and then explodes again in a cycle.

Only when they tried to measure how fast distant objects were moving relative to us, they found that things were still moving away from each other. More than that, the farther away things were, the faster they were moving. Meaning distant objects were accelerating.

Acceleration requires energy, but we don't know the mechanism behind this, or where the energy comes from. Hence, dark energy.

[–] elbarto777 2 points 8 months ago (2 children)

So, dark energy is responsible of the expansion of the universe?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago (1 children)

kinda, dark energy is the unknown explanation for the expansion of the universe. Once we understand it enough to know what it is responsible for it'll no longer be dark.

[–] Harbinger01173430 1 points 8 months ago

You humans and your primitive knowledge. The rest of the universe knows that this dark energy you haven't found out yet is called Mana and allows miracles to be made. /S

[–] slumberlust 2 points 8 months ago

Maybe, we don't know.

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