More than 70% of the Universe is made of 'dark energy', the mysterious stuff even stranger than dark matter

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You’ve heard of dark matter. You’ve probably heard there’s a fair bit of it out there in space, and that astronomers don’t know for sure what it is.

But, strange as dark matter is, there’s an even more mysterious thing out there in the Universe – and quite a lot of it.

Dark energy, believed to be responsible for the acceleration of the expansion of the Universe, makes up the vast majority of space.

Today, editorial intern and astrophysics student Cameron Furlong, dives into what we know about dark energy and what it means for our place in the Universe.

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Additional audio credits

Kindergarten by Unkle Ho, from Elefant Traks.

Pulsars by Podington Bear, from Free Music Archive

Podcast episode recorded and edited by Cameron Furlong.

Lead image

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Read more: 'The size, the grandeur, the peacefulness of being in the dark': what it's like to study space at Siding Spring Observatory

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This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.