|
Our universe is expanding faster and faster as time ticks forward, and experts blame dark energy. A mysterious force that scientists struggle to find, dark energy makes up about 68 percent of the universe, according to NASA. One of the more recent efforts to pin down this maddeningly elusive part of the universe involves holes—lots and lots of holes. Researchers make perforations in metal plates the size of manhole covers that correspond to the locations of known galaxies. They then slide that plate in front of a telescope’s mirrors. The holes funnel the light from each galaxy into instruments that help scientists map the universe’s structure and motion, which they hope will lead them to dark energy. (Photo by Mark Thiessen/National Geographic)
|
