10 Difference between Dark Energy and Dark Matter with Comparison Table

 Dark Energy and Dark Matter Comparison

Dark matter and dark energy are mysterious forces present in the universe. Dark matter makes up about 27% of the universe. It is thought to be made up of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) or axions, but these particles have not yet been directly detected. Dark matter does not interact with light or other forms of electromagnetic radiation, so it is invisible to us, therefore called as “dark” as it cannot be detected with any available detectors or instruments. Dark matter makes up most of the mass of galaxies and galaxy clusters and thought to responsible for the organization of galaxies.

Dark energy is an even more mysterious substance that makes up about 68% of the universe. It is thought to be a form of repulsive anti-gravity force that drives the expansion of the universe. The nature of dark energy is not known, but it is possible that it is a cosmological constant, which is a constant amount of energy that is present throughout the universe.

Even though both dark matter and dark energy are significant components of the universe, but they are still very poorly understood. Dark matter and dark energy are both invisible and have never been directly observed or detected.

Property	Dark Matter	Dark Energy
Composition	Unknown subatomic particles	Unknown form of energy
Density	About 5 times the density of normal matter	Very low density, much less than density of dark matter
Gravity	Attracts other objects	Opposes the force of gravity
Effect on the universe	Slows the expansion of the universe	Accelerates the expansion of the universe
Amount in the universe	~27%	~68%
Distribution in the universe	Concentrated in galaxies and galaxy clusters	Uniform throughout space
Evidence for existence	Gravitational lensing, galaxy rotation curves, and the cosmic microwave background	Accelerated expansion of the universe
Proposed particles	WIMPs, axions, and sterile neutrinos	Cosmological constant, quintessence, and phantom energy
Current understanding	Very limited	Very limited understanding