Cosmic Composition

Cosmic composition refers to the basic building blocks that make up the universe. About 73% of the universe's normal matter is dark energy, which drives its accelerated expansion and isn't directly observable. Ordinary matter—stars, planets, gas, and dust—accounts for roughly 4.9%. The remaining 22.1% is dark matter, an invisible form of matter that influences galaxies through gravity but doesn't emit light. Together, these components shape the universe's structure and evolution, with dark energy causing expansion, dark matter holding galaxies together, and ordinary matter forming the visible cosmic objects we observe.