From what it is, what it might be in the future,
and how it's expanding our universe, join
us as we ask and explain the question, "What
is Dark Energy and Dark Matter?"
11.
The Origins of Dark Energy and Dark Matter
To know what Dark Energy and Dark Matter is
on a basic level, we need to look at the very
beginning of the universe itself.
You see, scientists believed that the universe
had "stopped growing" after the Big Bang.
Or, at the very least, had "slowed down" from
the rapid expansion that created the universe.
Which would make sense when you think about
it, because after a while, the expansion would
have to stop, right?
But then, in 1920, Edwin Hubble made a discovery
that the universe was still growing, and it
didn't show signs of stopping.
This sent many scientists into a tizzy because
it wasn't clear what would cause the universe
to continue to expand.
Could the energy from the Big Bang truly have
been infinite? or was something else coming
forth to cause the expansion?
The answer that was found (in theory at least)
was that of the concept of Dark Energy and
Dark Matter.
First up, Dark Energy.
This principle posed by scientists is that
it's a type of energy that is literally pulling
at the universe, thus allowing it to expand.
All matte in the universe have a type of gravity,
and that holds the universe together, but
this Dark Energy is pulling it apart in a
way that counteracts the gravity of the universe
without destroying it.
Which is a good thing.
Because it'd be the opposite of pulling at
something like Play-Doh until eventually it
breaks.
We currently don't have to worry about that.
And then, there's the notion of Dark Matter.
This arrived in thought in the 1960's and
1970's by scientists stating that the universe
is made up of more than we can just see, and
it's through this invisible matter that the
Dark Energy may truly come forth from.
It's invisible, but it's there.
Now I'm sure your minds have been blown and
confused multiple times during that explanation.
But there is a small bright spot for those
who are still confused.
Mainly, both of these concepts are still just
theoretical.
Despite many sciences backing up that it could
be out there...no one can prove that it is,
or at least, hasn't proven it yet.
Dark Matter in particular is nearly impossible
to capture, especially with our perceptions
of it right now.
As for Dark Energy, it's hard to define it,
let alone "prove" it.
The Large Hadron Collider is said to be a
stepping stone to getting Dark Matter, but
it's unclear if it will truly produce what
they need to prove the theory.
Only time will tell on that front, and it's
not as easy as it sounds to just "make" the
Collider work.
So that's a loose definition about Dark Energy
and Dark Matter, now we'll dive more into
it and how it affects everything in the universe,
as well as is "constructed".
10.
Dark Matter Goes Beyond "Invisible"
So, as I noted before, one of the biggest
problems in proving the notion of Dark Matter
is that it's something that is invisible,
and thus hard to detect.
But it's more than just being invisible to
the naked eye.
After all, our own science and life are full
of things that can't be "seen" by the naked
eye, and yet are visible with magnification
or other spectrums.
So is that the case with Dark Matter?
Are we just not "looking hard enough"?
Well...no.
That's part of the mystery that is Dark Matter.
Because it is invisible, but it also doesn't
emit any radiation or signature that would
show up on the electromagnetic spectrum or
radar.
Scientists have many tools to detect all kinds
of radiation, and have used them on satellites
in space to see what they could find.
And yet, despite these tools, we haven't been
able to detect Dark Matter.
That's not to say that we're giving up, far
from it.
It just means that scientists have to refine
their tools and abilities even more to try
and find Dark Matter.
Plus, it could be that Dark Matter emits an
unknown kind of radiation or energy (not meaning
Dark Energy) that we don't know about.
Anything is possible at this point.
9.
Dark Matter Holds Galaxies Together
So given all the theories and mysteries around
Dark Matter, you might be wondering why we
think it exists at all outside of the expansion
of the universe.
To that, I would answer that many scientists
believe that Dark Matter is the reason that
galaxies exist as we know them.
How does that work when the Big Bang apparently
created everything?
Simple, while the Big Bang was the "creation"
event, many scientists have noted that galaxies
shouldn't stay together in their current forms.
Meaning, they shouldn't rotate in place.
Instead, they should just fly apart.
But instead, they stay close (most of the
times anyway, there are exceptions to the
rule) and become "formed" objects in space.
The reason for this is that Dark Matter has
gravity, and scientists feel that because
there is so much Dark Matter in the universe
(up to 85% depending on which scientists you
talk to), that the gravity exerted allows
them to stay as "one."
Again, not fully proven, but it's one of many
physics and math models that seem to explain
the presence of Dark Matter without fully
proving it.
Before we continue to expand on the topic,
be sure to like the video and subscribe to
the channel so that you don't miss our weekly
videos.
8.
The Cosmological Constant
Heading to Dark Energy now, let's talk about
a popular theory that was brought forward
by none other than Albert Einstein himself!
He believed that the universe could actually
be born from nothing, and that the larger
the universe got, the bigger the potential
for energy that it could contain.
This is what he called the "Cosmological Constant".
While still technically a theory, this notion
would explain a lot.
Mainly, the universe is known to be expanding
at quite a rate despite it being billions
of years since the Big Bang.
So why is it still growing?
Dark Energy that has been created via the
expanding universe.
Also, to that end, since it would be Dark
Energy propelling everything and not the driving
force of the Big Bang, that would mean that
the large the universe gets, the more barren
it gets as you reach the "outer limits" of
it.
So eventually, theoretically, the universe
we know could just be a small bright dot in
a near infinite well of darkness.
7.
The Theory Of Everything
Continuing on with grand theories that could
explain Dark Energy, Dark Matter, and more,
there are many scientists who believe that
the true answer for these forces, and all
other mysteries of the universe can be found
in...The Theory of Everything.
To be clear, The Theory of Everything is a
concept that defines how the universe works
and interacts with one another.
It may seem at times that we have this answer
already but that's actually very far from
the truth.
Because EVERYTHING doesn't always fall into
one set of guidelines or beliefs, scientists
have take the "divide and conquer" approach
by making smaller theories about forces in
the universe and then trying to combine them.
Which has not worked so far.
Such as String Theory, Quantum Mechanics,
Theory of Gravity, and more.
That's why many believe that Dark Energy and
Matter DO exist, because these theories all
have gaps and inconsistencies that these two
properties could potentially bring answers
to.
But again, they're hard to prove they exist.
6.
Dark Matter Isn't Evenly Distributed Through
The Universe
This fact shouldn't come as too big of a shock,
but it does help explain certain inconsistencies
about Dark Matter itself.
Because of its nature, as well as its abilities,
it would be very odd to find that Dark Matter
is evenly put throughout the universe.
If it was, it'd likely be much easier to detect,
which we know that it isn't.
For example, a major theory about Dark Matter
is that it tends to gravitate towards the
center of the galaxies in the universe for
one reason or another.
So because of this, there are "halos" of Dark
Matter scattered throughout the galaxy, meaning
that large clumps of them aren't all throughout
the cosmos, but in certain areas.
Our own galaxy is said to be caught in the
"winds" of Dark Matter particles.
Though given that Dark Matter does have gravity,
and exerts large amounts of it at times, if
they were evenly put throughout the universe,
the shape of said universe might be very different.
5.
It Bends The "Reality" Of Space As We See
It
I want you to picture a clear night on Earth,
and you're looking up at the night sky and
you see...what?
Stars I would hope.
But more than that, you see a multitude of
stars, and occasionally a planet or two in
the sky.
And you've likely been told that this is the
universe as we know it (more or less obviously)
looking down at us.
That's both true and false.
Yes, the stars and planets you see (or observe
via things like telescopes) are real, and
they are "looking at us" via the light and
radiation that they emit.
However, how they actually look in space is
different than how they look on Earth because
of Dark Matter.
Due to the gravity of Dark Matter, and how
much of it is theoretically out there in the
universe, an effect is done because of the
massive gravity wells known as "Gravitational
Lensing".
Meaning that not unlike looking at a curved
mirror, the image you see is stretched or
thinned.
Meaning that what you see isn't exactly what
you get.
Which is why NASA and other space organizations
have very sophisticated instruments to break
through this effect and see the planets and
stars and galaxies as they truly are.
4.
Dark Energy Could Be Another Major Fundamental
Force Of The Universe
One of the stronger theories about Dark Energy
and its presence in the cosmos lines up with
the known properties of our universe.
Mainly, the "fundamental forces" that hold
it together.
The ones that we know of and have scientifically
confirmed include: gravity, electromagnetism,
weak force, and strong force.
Each doing something on either a large or
small scale in order to keep the universe
together and "flowing".
But with Dark Energy, the potential is there
that this is another fundamental force, and
one that we don't even know the full scale
of.
Again, this is potentially the energy that
is causing the universe to expand infinitely.
But it's also possible that it's something
affecting the universe in a way that we honestly
can't perceive at the present time.
Many are trying to figure out just how much
of an impact the Dark Energy out there is
having so that it can be accounted for, as
well as helping determine the "fate" of our
universe.
3.
We Know They Don't Come From Black Holes
There are a lot of theories as to what Dark
Matter is and isn't and where it comes from,
but one thing that most scientists agree on
is that there are some entities in the universe
that we know for sure it doesn't come from.
One of those things is Black Holes.
Now, objectively, it would make sense that
Black Holes somehow create Dark Matter.
Black Holes are invisible themselves, they
exert massive amounts of gravity, and light
can't escape it.
Which has many similar properties to Dark
Matter.
Yet, we can detect Black Holes, and we've
done so frequently.
Plus, if the Black Holes of the Universe were
helping spew out Dark Matter, that would mean
that they can not only go faster than light
and escape the pull of the Black Holes massive
gravity well, but we'd have more of the gravitational
lensing effect in our universe.
It's a small step towards truth, but it's
one that lines up well with what we believe
about Dark Matter and Dark Energy.
2.
There Are Maps Of Dark Matter
Despite the fact that we can't "detect" Dark
Matter on a meaningful level, that doesn't
mean that we don't have good guesses as to
where it is and where it isn't. in fact, there
are actually maps out there right now that
outline the basic places where Dark Matter
is allegedly at.
This is based on radiation relics left over
from the Big Bang.
Through these maps, we see certain "hotspots"
in regards to where the Dark Matter likely
is, giving scientists a location to try and
look for more proof as to what it is and where
it can be found.
1.
Will We Ever Truly Discover Dark Matter and
Dark Energy?
That is the question, isn't it?
And what a question it is.
The scientific community is honestly really
divided on the notion of Dark Matter and Dark
Energy.
To the extent that there are many who agree
that while many are close to finding proof
of their existence, it's also true that they
could find proof that it doesn't exist at
all very soon.
Now, if we do find proof of it, it would drastically
change our perceptions of the universe at
a massive level.
However, if we don't find proof of it, or
even disprove it, it would show that the universe
is still a mysterious place.
And that we have a lot to learn.
Only time will tell if Dark Matter and Dark
Energy are definitively found.
Thanks for watching everyone!
Did you learn a lot about Dark Energy and
Dark Matter?
What did you find the most fascinating on
the subject?
When do you think we will finally get proof
about these entities in our universe?
Let me know in the comments below, be sure
to subscribe, and I'll see you next time on
the channel!
