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| | The Universe |
 | | Assuming the validity of the Big Bang theory (and it is only a theory, albeit one that has a lot of evidence going for it), the universe can be defined in terms of time, space, and temperature. |
 | | The current explanation for this observation is that about 3/4 of the energy from the Big Bang is not in the form of matter but in the vacuum itself and that this vacuum energy is creating a negative pressure that accelerates the expansion of the universe. |
 | | So the book-keeping seems to be that about 70% of the energy in the universe is in the vacuum, about 5% is in the form of normal matter (protons, planets, stars,galaxies, etc.), and the remaining 25% is "dark matter", mysterious invisible particles that inhabit the haloes of galaxies. |
| www.kheper.net /cosmos/universe/universe.htm (772 words) |
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