Space and Astronomy Atlas

How The Universe Works
Concepts

Dark Energy

Citation Formats

General Reference

APA Style

BibTeX

Dark energy is a proposed form of energy that affects the universe on its largest scales, whose primary effect is to drive the accelerating expansion of the universe. It was inferred in 1998 from observations of distant Type Ia supernovae, which appeared fainter, and therefore farther away, than expected in a universe expanding at a constant or decelerating rate. In the standard cosmological model it accounts for the majority of the universe's total mass-energy content.

Facts
Concept Domain
Cosmology 1
Formulated Year
1998 1
The High-Z Supernova Search Team published the founding observations of Type Ia supernovae in 1998; the Supernova Cosmology Project independently reported an accelerating expansion in 1999.
Proposed By
High-Z Supernova Search Team and Supernova Cosmology Project 1
Led respectively by Brian Schmidt and Adam Riess, and by Saul Perlmutter; the three shared the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery.
Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

Sources
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationDark energy, discovery section
Quote, Dark energy, discovery section
In 1998, the High-Z Supernova Search Team published observations of Type Ia supernovae. In 1999, the Supernova Cosmology Project followed by suggesting that the expansion of the universe is accelerating.
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationDark energy, lead section
Quote, Dark energy, lead section
Dark energy is a proposed form of energy that affects the universe on its largest scales. Its primary effect is to drive the accelerating expansion of the universe.
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Dark Matter
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Big Bang Theory
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Dark Matter
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Cosmological Constant
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Cosmological Constant
Vera C. Rubin Observatory / LSST - About
Vera C. Rubin Observatory / LSST Corporation, Vera C. Rubin Observatory / LSST CorporationAssociated With: Vera C. Rubin Observatory, Funding agencies section
Quote, Associated With: Vera C. Rubin Observatory, Funding agencies section
National Science Foundation (NSF) - Cooperative Agreement No. 1258333; Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science - Contract No. DE-AC02-76SF00515

Take a Related Quiz

Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.

View At A Past Year

The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.