The Building Blocks of the Universe
Matter and Beyond
Everything that we can observe in the universe—from the smallest insects on Earth to the largest stars in the sky—is made of matter. In science, matter is defined as any substance that has mass and occupies space.
However, the universe is not made up only of the things we can see. Alongside visible matter, there are two mysterious and powerful invisible components: dark matter and dark energy. Even though we cannot see them with our most advanced telescopes, they control how the universe is structured and how it grows.
The Composition of the Universe
Scientists have discovered that the universe is divided into three main parts. Surprisingly, the things we are most familiar with make up the smallest slice of the cosmic pie.
Component | Percentage of the Universe | Description |
Normal Matter | ~ 5% | Everything we can see and touch (planets, stars, dust, life). |
Dark Matter | ~ 27% | Invisible matter that holds galaxies together using gravity. |
Dark Energy | ~ 68% | A mysterious force pushing the universe apart. |
This breakdown shows that 95% of our universe consists of unknown substances. Solving this mystery is one of the biggest challenges in modern science.
Normal Matter
Normal matter (also called visible matter) consists of everything we can directly observe. We can see it with our naked eyes or detect it using special telescopes that read ultraviolet or infrared light.
- What is it made of?
Normal matter is made up of tiny atomic particles, namely protons, neutrons, and electrons. - States of Matter:
It can exist in different physical states: solid, liquid, gas, or plasma (a superheated, charged state of gas found in stars).
Even though normal matter is the basis of human life, water, air, and the glowing sun, it represents a tiny fraction of the total universe.
Dark Matter
If dark matter pulls the universe together, dark energy pushes it apart. Making up about 68% of the cosmos, it is even more mysterious than dark matter.
- The Expanding Universe: In the 1920s, astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered that the universe is expanding. Galaxies are constantly moving away from each other.
- The Accelerating Expansion: For decades, scientists assumed that the inward pull of gravity (from normal and dark matter) would eventually slow down this expansion. However, in the 1990s, by observing distant exploding stars (supernovae), astronomers made a shocking discovery: the expansion of the universe was not slowing down. It was speeding up.
Understanding Dark Energy: Imagine throwing a ball up into the air. You expect gravity to slow it down and pull it back to Earth. Now imagine if the ball suddenly started moving upward faster and faster. This is what is happening to our universe. Scientists call the unknown force causing this rapid, outward push “dark energy.”
