The sentence in the title above came from the EarthSkyNews blog/newsletter. I expect better from sources purporting to explain scientific concepts.
“The mysterious force we call dark energy makes up more than two thirds of the universe.”
(www.earthsky.org, 11-13-2024)
First “Dark Energy” is indeed mysterious as it is entirely hypothetical, the concept being created to explain the hypothetical acceleration of the hypothetical expansion of space, or space-time if you prefer, in the universe. No one has yet found evidence to support its existence (the original issue leading to it being hypothesized does not count as evidence).
Using the label “energy” for a “force” is quite odd as these two are not the same.
Force is an external factor which can change the state of rest or state of uniform motion of an object. (Newton’s first law)
Energy is defined as the “ability to do work, which is the ability to exert a force causing displacement of an object.”
So an object able to exert a force possesses energy to do so, and so energy is the source of the ability to exert a force or forces.
Dark energy is not a force, it is an energy which is the source of the force causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate, or so it is proposed.
Moving on to “dark energy makes up more than two thirds of the universe.” This should be better stated as “dark energy, if it is real, would make up more than two thirds of the universe” or “the theory hypothesizing the existence of dark energy also claims that it would make up more than two thirds of the universe.”
Under no circumstances should a mysterious energy, lacking any proof of its existence, be referred to as if it were a fact, certainly not in the same sentence!
Uncommon Sense 