Until now, these results have shown the density of dark energy in the universe appears to be constant. Since those initial measurements, we’ve been using supernovae and other probes to measure the nature of dark energy. This implies that something quite similar to Einstein’s cosmological constant may exist after all – something we now call dark energy. However, in 1998, two teams of researchers found the expansion of the universe was actually accelerating. More than 70% of the Universe is made of 'dark energy', the mysterious stuff even stranger than dark matter Later, when the work of Henrietta Swan Leavitt and Edwin Hubble showed the universe was indeed expanding, Einstein did away with the cosmological constant, calling it his “greatest mistake”. This seemed wrong to him, so he added a “cosmological constant” – a kind of energy inherent in empty space – to balance out the force of gravity and keep the universe static. When Einstein developed the General Theory of Relativity over a century ago, he realised his equations showed the universe should either be expanding or shrinking.
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