Scientific Speculation of What Makes Up the Universe

Dark matter and dark energy are fairly new concepts that only came into existence somewhere in the 1990’s. Scientists describe dark energy as something that affects the universe’s expansion, and that this dark energy takes up around sixty-eight percent of the Universe. Dark matter consists of non visible matter that takes up space (NASA). More is not known about dark matter than what is known:

• it’s not what makes up the stars and planets
• it’s not antimatter
• it’s not in the form of dark clouds
• it’s not in the form of black holes

Dark matter takes up twenty-seven percent of the Universe, while normal matter takes up a small amount of the last five percent (NASA). Dark energy and dark matter go hand in hand because it is what’s helping scientists grasp the concept of what makes up the Universe.

The idea of dark energy came into existence when scientists discovered that the Universe was expanding rapidly than slowing down due to gravity. They came up with a couple of theories behind why the Universe is expanding rapidly like something being wrong behind Einstein’s theory of gravity or perhaps some type of energy-fluid filled space. Scientists still don’t know the explanation, but decided to give the name of dark energy as a solution (NASA). Dark matter popped up into existence by scientists realizing that there was much more matter between galaxies and clusters than gas and gamma rays. The scientists could not see this matter with any type of instruments, so they named it “dark matter” (NASA).

Debate. Does Dark Matter Exist? Debate. Retrieved from: http://www.debate.org/opinions/does-dark-matter-exist

NASA Science: Astrophysics. Dark Energy, Dark Matter. NASA. Retrieved from: https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/what-is-dark-energy