Astronomy 162 - Stars, Galaxies, & The Universe

We are not made of the same matter as most of the Universe! This surprising conclusion, that the ordinary matter we are made of (protons, neutrons, and electrons) constitute only 13% or so of the total matter in the Universe, the rest being in the form of Dark Matter. Further, this dark matter is only about 30% of the combined matter and energy density of the Universe, the remaining 70% of which appears to be a form of Dark Energy that fills the vacuum of space and acts in the present day to accelerate the expansion of the Universe. This lecture will summarize the state of our understanding of Dark Matter and Dark Energy, and look at the questions remaining to be answered in this active area of current research. Recorded 2006 March 7 in 1008 Evans Laboratory on the Columbus campus of The Ohio State University.