You’ve heard of dark matter. You’ve probably heard there’s a fair bit of it out there in space, and that astronomers don’t know for sure what it is.

But, strange as dark matter is, there’s an even more mysterious thing out there in the Universe – and quite a lot of it.

Dark energy, believed to be responsible for the acceleration of the expansion of the Universe, makes up the vast majority of space.

Today, editorial intern and astrophysics student Cameron Furlong, dives into what we know about dark energy and what it means for our place in the Universe.

Read more: The Dish in Parkes is scanning the southern Milky Way, searching for alien signals

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Additional audio credits

Kindergarten by Unkle Ho, from Elefant Traks.

Pulsars by Podington Bear, from Free Music Archive

Podcast episode recorded and edited by Cameron Furlong.

Lead image

Shutterstock

Read more: 'The size, the grandeur, the peacefulness of being in the dark': what it's like to study space at Siding Spring Observatory