Dark matter and dark energy are two of the biggest mysteries in science today. A
ID: 231827 • Letter: D
Question
Dark matter and dark energy are two of the biggest mysteries in science today. Although we don't know what they are, scientists would not have added them to our models of the universe without strong evidence that they represent real phenomena (see the Hallmarks of Science). In a 2-3 paragraph essay, identify one piece of evidence for the existence of either dark matter or dark energy, and describe it in detail. Explain why the observations you have chosen are scientifically convincing evidence for the existence of dark matter or dark energy.
Explanation / Answer
The visible universe, including Earth, the sun, other stars, and galaxies is made of protons, neutrons, and electrons combined together into atoms. One of the most amazing discoveries of the 20th century was that this common, or baryonic, matter makes up less than 5 percent of the mass of the universe.
Approximately 80 percent of the mass of the universe is made up of matter that we cannot directly observe. It is known as dark matter and this strange component does not produce light or energy. Older studies of other galaxies first showed that the universe contained There is no solid direct evidence of dark matter but there have been strong possibilities in recent years. This matter may be made of baryonic or non-baryonic matter. Most scientists supported that dark matter is composed of non-baryonic matter. The leading non-baryonic matter, WIMPS (weakly interacting massive particles), have ten to a hundred times the mass of a proton, but their weak interactions with normal matter make them difficult to detect. Neutralinos, huge imaginary particles heavier and slower than neutrinos, are the primary particle, though they have yet to be marked. The smaller neutral axion and the uncharched photinos are also potential matters for dark matter.
Now scientists compute the mass of large objects in space by observing their motion. Astronomers investigating the spiral galaxies and expected to see the material in the center moving faster than on the outer edges also, they observed that the stars in both the locations moved at the same velocity. It indicates that the galaxies contained more mass than that could be seen. Studies of the gas within these galaxies also showed a requirement of more mass than that found in visible objects.
Albert Einstein found that very big objects in the universe curve and alter light, allowing them to be used as lenses. By observing how light is distorted by galaxy clusters, astronomers have been able to create a map of dark matter in the universe.
All of these techniques offer a strong indication that the most of the matter in the universe is something yet hidden.
Roughly 68% of the Universe is dark energy. The definition for dark energy is that it is a property of space. Albert Einstein was the first person to understand that empty space is not nothing. Space has astonishing properties, many of which are just beginning to be understood. The first property that Einstein revealed is that it is possible for more space to come into existence. Empty space can possess its own energy. Because this energy is a property of space itself, it would not be weak as space expands. As more space comes, more of this energy would appear. As a result, this form of energy may cause the Universe to enlarge faster and faster.
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