dark energy

American  

[dahrk en-er-jee] / ˈdɑrk ˈɛn ər dʒi /

noun

1. a hypothetical form of energy whose negative pressure counteracts gravity and is assumed to be responsible for the universe expanding at an accelerating rate.

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dark energy Scientific  

1. A form of energy hypothesized to reside in the structure of space itself, responsible for the accelerating expansion of the universe. Dark energy theoretically counterbalances the kinetic energy of the universe's expansion, entailing that that the universe has no inherent curvature, as astronomical observations currently suggest. Dark energy appears to account for 73 percent of all the energy and matter in the universe.

2. See also big bang

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dark energy Cultural  

1. An as yet unknown and unidentified form of energy that pervades the universe and produces a force that counteracts the gravitational attraction between galaxies.

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Discover More

Dark energy is thought to be responsible for the accelerating universe.

Etymology

Origin of dark energy

First recorded in 1995–2000

Example Sentences

There is growing controversy over recent evidence suggesting that a mysterious force known as dark energy might be changing in a way that challenges our current understanding of time and space.

From BBC

Then evidence for dark energy was discovered in 1998 as a force accelerating the expansion of the Universe.

From BBC

Desi was built to discover more about dark energy.

From BBC

"Now with this changing dark energy going up and then down, again, we need a new mechanism. And this could be a shake up for the whole of physics," he says.

From BBC

Prof Young Wook Lee of Yonsei University in Seoul and his team went back to the kind of supernova data that first revealed dark energy 27 years ago.

From BBC