The discovery of 'Dark Energy'


The discovery of 'Dark Energy'

Postby ballabh75 » Wed Oct 21, 2009 1:57 am

In 1998 two rival groups of scientists embarked on research projects to measure the effects of gravity on the expansion of the universe. Since the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago, the universe had been expanding. What was unknown was would this expansion go on forever. Was there too little mass in the universe to slow down the expansion - and it would continue forever? Or was the amount of mass in the universe sufficient to not only slow down the growth of the universe, but to eventually pull it all back together to one point?

Both teams got startling results. Instead of slowing or continuing at a steady rate, the universe was expanding faster and faster. A mysterious energy was causing the universe to fly apart.

We have since established that the acceleration of the expansion of the universe begun about 9 billion years ago when dark energy dominated the force of gravity and begun to push the universe apart at an ever increasing rate. These findings were understandably shocking to scientists who thought it most likely we lived in a universe which was gently slowing down due to gravitational attraction.
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Re: The discovery of 'Dark Energy'

Postby muzamil_mpc » Thu Oct 22, 2009 1:29 am

Dark energy, which fills the space between galaxies and drives them apart, is "perhaps the biggest mystery in physics.
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