The Universe: Dark Matter - Dark Energy

Today on Far Future Horizons we explore the dark side of the Universe. Less than five percent of our universe is comprised of matter that is radiant or interacts with light or other forms of electromagnetic radiation.

For thousands of years we have looked at the night sky and believed the illuminated stuff was all that made up our universe. Scientists now realize it's not what shines in the light but what hides in the darkness that holds the true secrets of our Cosmos. There is a mysterious dark matter that binds stars and galaxies together, and strange particles like wimps, axions and machos might be to blame. And there is a dark, repulsive energy that is creating space in the universe, that's driving the galaxies further and further apart, to a dismal fate. Combined, dark matter and dark energy make up 96% of the universe and uncovering their secrets is like making the one-in-a-million shot. If uncovered, the ultimate fate of the universe might be revealed. Will it crash and burn in a horrific collision of gravitational forces? Or will dark energy tear the universe apart? 

Join us on an odyssey to the dark side of the universe and the hunt for dark matter and dark energy.

This diagram explains why the expansion speed of the universe is increasing

These are relatively new discoveries in Astronomy and have fundamentally altered our perception of the nature and ultimate fate of the Universe. 

The Universe is available on DVD from Amazon.com and the History Channel’s online store.

The Universe: Dark Matter - Dark Energy

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