Dark Matter & Dark Energy
Discover the universe's building blocks – matter, dark matter, and dark energy.
Overview
Everything scientists can observe in the universe, from people to planets, is made of matter. Matter is defined as any substance that has mass and occupies space. But there’s more to the universe than the matter we can see. Dark matter and dark energy are mysterious substances that affect and shape the cosmos, and scientists are still trying to figure them out.
![An almost circular galaxy fills the image. It has a glowing bar stretching across its core; from the ends of the bar, thin spiral arms wrap around the galaxy to form a closed disk. The arms are fuzzy from the dust and stars they contain. The galaxy is on a black, mostly empty background. A few foreground stars with cross-shaped diffraction spikes can be seen, as well as some distant galaxies in the background.]](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/potw2433a.jpg?w=4096&format=webp)
