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All the material we can see is just a small fraction of the universe. The rest, a full 95 percent, is invisible and mysterious. These are the enigmatic dark matter and dark energy. While dark matter keeps things like galaxies together, dark energy acts in an opposite way – it pushes groups of galaxies apart and expands the universe itself. This event will discuss how astronomers are working to map the universe’s dark matter so they can see the effects of dark energy. The results could help us understand if the universe will expand at an accelerating rate forever.

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JPL’s Theodore von Kármán Lecture Series aims to bring the excitement of JPL’s missions, instruments and other technologies to an audience of both JPL employees and the general public. Lectures take place on consecutive Thursdays and Fridays.

The Thursday lectures take place in JPL's Theodore von Kármán Auditorium, are streamed live via Ustream, and are archived for later viewing.

The Friday lectures are held at the Beckman Auditorium on the Caltech campus, located at Michigan Avenue south of Del Mar Boulevard.

Both lectures start at 7 p.m. Admission and parking are free for all lectures, no reservations are required, and seating is limited.

Explore More:

• 
  How Do We See Dark Matter?

  Students will make observations of two containers and identify differences in content, justify their claims and make comparisons to dark matter observations.

  Grades 6-12

  Time < 30 mins