You’ve probably heard of gravity. It’s what keeps your feet on the ground and the planets in orbit. But did you know there’s something else out there — something invisible — that’s pushing the universe apart?
It’s called dark energy, and right now, scientists are running new experiments to find out what it really is.
What Is Dark Energy?
Dark energy is a mysterious force that seems to be causing the universe to expand faster and faster. Scientists discovered it in the 1990s while studying distant galaxies. Instead of slowing down over time, the galaxies were moving away from each other more quickly.
That didn’t make sense at first. Something had to be pushing them apart — and that “something” is what we now call dark energy.
Why Is It So Mysterious?
Here’s the wild part: dark energy makes up about 70% of the universe, but we can’t see it, touch it, or even measure it directly. Scientists only know it exists because of the way it affects space.
That’s why it’s one of the biggest mysteries in modern science.
What’s the New Experiment About?
Recently, scientists launched a powerful space telescope called Euclid (led by the European Space Agency). Its job is to map the shape and size of the universe in more detail than ever before. It will look at billions of galaxies and help scientists track how fast the universe is expanding.
At the same time, researchers are running other experiments — like the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI)— to study how galaxies behave and what clues they give about dark energy.
These tools are helping us answer big questions like:
- What is dark energy really made of?
- Has it always been the same?
- Will it change the future of the universe?
Why Should We Care?
Even though dark energy doesn’t affect your everyday life, it plays a huge role in the fate of the universe. If scientists can figure out what it is, we’ll understand more about:
- How the universe began
- How it’s changing now
- What might happen billions of years from now
It’s a reminder that science isn’t just about what we can see — it’s also about exploring the unknown.
Dark Energy vs. Dark Matter
Don’t confuse dark energy with dark matter — they’re not the same thing!
- Dark matter helps hold galaxies together with its gravity.
- Dark energy pushes galaxies apart, speeding up the universe’s expansion.
Both are invisible — and both are still being studied.