NPR: dark energy vs. dark matter?

They are very different things. Dark Matter is the extra matter that accounts for observed gravitational binding beyond what would be due to light-emitting objects in galaxies. Dark Energy is something that people use to account for an observed overall cosmic expansion beyond what one might expect from the big bang and the observed and deduced matter (including proposed Dark Matter) in the universe. Perhaps the term "dark" best describes our ignorance on the subject.

Well, I will try to make this as simple *** possible.

A couple of decades back (or maybe a few years, I forget) a team of scientists tried to make a map of the universe. It worked perfectly, except for one thing. Everything kept flying out of its position! This can only be explained for a huge lack of gravity. Everytime they tried, there was just not enough mass that was "supposed" to be there.

Along with this, scientists have also been asking the question "Where does all our mass come from?" Well, they started with the statement that the universe must have come from nothing, and was made into something. They also figured out that something CAN come from nothing. The only way they could see this is like a math problem: -2+2=0.

With these two facts, it was made that the matter that is the negative part of that equation is dark matter, as the matter that we can see, hear, feel, smell, and sense is the positive side. When these two meet, they will turn into nothing, just like the equation equalled zero. The only way this would happen is if the matter that was "real" met the EXACT same matter that was "dark".

This "dark matter" has gravity. That is what is able to keep the universe stable: through it and its counterpart's gravity.

Now that we know about dark matter, they thought "Well, if matter is basically energy, then shouldn't there be dark energy?". Now, I have no idea about the correlation between dark matter and dark energy, but I'm pretty sure they are nothing alike. Digressing, the dark energy is the "oppisite" of the "regular" energy. When it meets its EXACT counterpart, it will be completely gone.

I hope I answered your question! (ten points?)

With first darkish count, and then darkish ability, cosmology is commencing as much as sound like the patched up Newtonian mechanics modern on the tip of the nineteenth century. Invent as many advert hoc hypotheses as you will desire to keep the previous theory going, till somebody comes up with a sparkling theory.