Dark energy may cause the universe to expand forever?

Question

Explain how

Answer 1

It is estimated the universe contains 70% dark energy. Since dark energy has negative gravity, it overpowers positive gravity. Also, since it has negative gravity, it tends to spread out evenly through the universe, rather than being clumped up into galaxies, stars, and planets like matter tends to behave. That means positive gravity can overpower negative gravity in local areas, like our planet, solar system, or galaxy, but be overpowered by the amount of dark energy in the rest of the universe as a whole, because it's mostly empty of normal matter.

Answer 2

"Dark energy" (dark only because we've just started observing its behavior) was hypothesized when it was discovered that the universe is expanding faster than it was before. The idea is that this energy is causing the acceleration, not exactly antigravity but something like it. Scientists are just starting to wrap their heads around this concept, so they've been proposing a number of hypothetical behaviors to look for.

At least one very preliminary theory suggests that ultimately (long after we're gone) the universe will accelerate to the point that it will shatter into billions of mini universes that may subsequently become "big bangs" for new universes. SInce we don't know exactly what a "shattered"universe looks and acts like, we'll have to let the slide-rule folks argue this one. But we have a ways to go before we've figured out the ultimate fate of our universe.

Answer 3

Even before the effects of 'dark energy' were observed, cosmologists mostly agreed that the universe would expand indefinitely. All that dark energy does is increase the rate of that expansion.

Answer 4

There are two possibilities the presently noted acceleration may go for deceleration & universe may again start at later point & go for big crunch (I suppose this is because of energy mass equivalence)
Second possibility is as you say it may expand for ever & latter there may be proton decay so only radiation may left in universe

Answer 5

It wouldent be "Dark Energy"

Think of an explosion, a ball explodes, and the material expands in all directions

The theory is that the universe was once one gient ball. it exploded, causing everything to expand outward, because there isent anything in space, there is nothing to take away the energy of everything moving, aka air and atmosphear.

if you toss a ball in space, that ball will never slow down because it there is nothign to take away the KINETIC energy.

thus the energy of the "big bang" explosion is the energy that causes the universe to keep expanding.

the big bang is just a theory. its not provable. its also NOT provable that the universe is expanding. Its a theory. plausable, but still a theory.

Answer 6

I agree with Ideamand dark energy doesn't exist but I disagree with expansion theory the universe will contract.

Answer 7

There is no such thing as 'dark energy' and the universe does not expand or contract.
OK?........OK.

Answer 8

Man what the heck is dark matter i thought it was Star Trek dope