Exploding stars may shed light on mysterious dark energy

"The future of the cosmos is hidden within dark energy, the invisible substance that constitutes more than 70 percent of the universe.

A study released Thursday by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics moves scientists closer to measuring and understanding the mechanics of dark energy and its impact on the expansion of the universe.

“Dark energy is the most profound problem in all of science,” said astrophysicist Michael Turner, a professor at the University of Chicago who was not involved in the study. “And it’s a very hard problem.”

The new study proposes a relatively simple method for enhancing the accuracy of dark energy observations by changing scientists’ understanding of supernovae, huge exploding stars that cast light across galaxies." Read More