What observation regarding Type Ia supernovae led to the discovery of dark energy?
Answer
The supernovae were dimmer than they should have been if the expansion of the universe were decelerating.
Type Ia supernovae serve as standard candles because they release a consistent amount of light. Astronomers expected these distant explosions to be brighter if the universe was decelerating, as the mutual gravitational pull of matter should slow down expansion over time. However, the data revealed these supernovae were dimmer than anticipated, providing evidence that they were moving away faster than expected. This revealed that the expansion is actually accelerating, a phenomenon now attributed to the invisible force known as dark energy.
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