Astrophysicists have conducted one of the most detailed studies ever of the formation and evolution of the universe. With this work called Pantheon+, the way we understand space and the universe may change. Because this study reveals new information about the structure of the universe and the expansion rate of the universe.
According to the study, one-third of our universe consists largely of matter in the form of dark matter, and two-thirds is made up of dark energy. The expansion of the universe has been accelerating in the last few billion years.
Now it will be easier to explain the cosmos
While the dominant modern cosmological theories, known as the Standard Cosmological Model, were once again supported by Pantheon+, alternative theories on dark matter and dark energy were also discarded. New studies on dark energy and dark matter, which are the biggest mysteries of the model, can be shaped through Pantheon+.
Dillon Brout, an Einstein Investigator at the Center for Astrophysics at Harvard & Smithsonian, said in a statement: “With these Pantheon+ results, we are able to place the most precise constraints ever on the dynamics and history of the universe. We have combed through the data and now we know how the universe has evolved over the ages and how dark energy and dark energy have evolved. We can say with more confidence than ever before that the best existing theories for matter are strong.” used the phrases.
The Pantheon+ study examined supernovae of white dwarf stars called Type Ia. When these supernovas explode, they create flares that can be clearly observed even at a distance of 10 billion light years, so these explosions can be seen from most of the known universe.
These studies reveal the expansion rate of the universe.
The glow gets weaker as the distance to the center of the explosion increases. Scientists also manage to reveal the expansion rate of the universe with their studies on the remnants of these explosions and their distances from the center.
According to the new research, 66.2% of the universe is made up of dark energy, and 33.8% is a mixture of matter and dark matter. Another important finding is the expansion rate of the universe. Measured with a 1.3 percent margin of error, the universe continues to expand at a rate of 77.3 kilometers per second per megaparsec (1 million persecs, about 3,262,000 light-years).
Researchers say that with the Pantheon+ study, it is possible to observe the transition of the universe from a dark matter dominant structure to a dark energy dominant structure. “Pantheon+ gives us the best chance yet to limit dark energy, its origins and evolution,” the researchers write.