Ask Ethan: How does dark energy accelerate the Universe?
<p>It’s all too easy to accept what we know — or think we know — without examining it too critically. But when it comes to the great mysteries of our cosmic reality, that close, critical examination is exactly what’s required to help us truly, deeply understand what’s at play. At first pass, the expanding Universe might seem like an easy thing to accept: some sort of rapid, initial expansion started off our Universe, while the gravitational effects of all the matter and energy within it work to bring things back together. If gravitation won, we’d end in a Big Crunch; if the expansion won, we’d end in a Big Freeze.</p>
<p>Only, when we examined our Universe in sufficient detail, we found that not only is the expansion going to win, but that distant objects are actually speeding up as they recede from us. Somehow, they’re moving away faster and faster as time goes on. How do we make sense of this? That’s what <a href="https://www.patreon.com/startswithabang" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon supporter</a> Bob Schier wants to know, asking:</p>
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