4 ms·

Does this mean there is "more" dark energy since we still have all the effects of extra matter but less visible matter?

• crazydoggers 6y ago
  Dark energy and dark matter are separate concepts. Dark energy refers to a factor that increases the expansion of the universe, ie a cosmological constant. Dark matter on the other hand is matter we can’t detect currently, but we theorize is there from its gravitational effects. There’s a lot of other data like galaxy rotation rates, CMB, gravitational lensing, etc that effect dark matter estimates. I’m not sure how much of the current estimate is based on larger observable universe structure, so it’s an interesting question.
  • maga 6y ago
    I understand that, I mean the matter-energy balance in the universe at the moment accounts 5% to ordinary matter, 26% to dark matter and the rest to dark energy. Since we now assume there are less stars, hence, ordinary matter, but the galaxies are still accelerating at the same rate, doesn't that mean the dark energy accounts for more than the estimated 69%?
• Keysh 6y ago
  No, because only about 10% of normal (baryonic) matter is actually in the form of stars. The rest is mostly in the form of hot, dilute gas in intergalactic space. The idea that about 5% of the total mass-energy budget of the universe is in the form of baryonic matter is well-determined by cosmological observations (including the relative amounts of hydrogen and helium formed in the Big Bang). It if turns out we've overestimated the amount of baryonic matter in stars by a factor of two, that just means that 95% of the baryons are in the hot intergalactic medium instead of 90%.