---
title: "Dark energy may change over time: nearly 3,000 supernovae challenge the classical model of the Universe"
description: "Analysis of nearly 3,000 Type Ia supernovae suggests that dark energy may change over time, challenging the model of a constant cosmological constant and opening the way to new physics."
date: 2026-09-16T05:14:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/dark-energy-may-change-over-time-nearly-3000-supernovae-challenge-classical-model
tags: [dark-energy, supernovae, cosmology, universe-expansion, astrophysics]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Dark energy may change over time: nearly 3,000 supernovae challenge the classical model of the Universe

![Artistic visualization of a spiral galaxy embedded in a fibrous web of dark energy and dark matter, illustrating the study of nearly 3000 supernovae that challenge the classical model of the Universe](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/16/temnaya-energiya-mozhet-menyat-sa-so-vremenem/temnaya-energiya-mozhet-menyat-sa-so-vremenem-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Analysis of nearly 3,000 Type Ia supernovae points to a possible change in dark energy over time.
- Researchers combined about 30 years of observations, accounting for dust, galaxy mass, and gravitational lensing.
- The result challenges the constant cosmological constant model and will be supplemented by data from the DEBASS program.

Scientists who analyzed data from nearly 3,000 Type Ia supernovae have concluded that dark energy — the force driving the accelerated expansion of the Universe — may not be constant but could change over time. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing a study published on the arXiv preprint server. The result potentially revises one of the foundational assumptions of modern cosmology and raises new questions about the nature of cosmic expansion itself.

### How supernovae became “standard candles”

Type Ia supernovae occur in binary star systems: when one of the stars dies and collapses into a white dwarf, it pulls matter from its companion star. Once the white dwarf's mass exceeds the so-called Chandrasekhar limit, a powerful thermonuclear explosion ensues. The key property of such events is their nearly identical luminosity, which allows astronomers to use them as a reference — a “standard candle” — for measuring cosmic distances and the redshift of light. It is precisely these measurements that underpin the picture of the Universe's accelerated expansion and, in essence, the very existence of dark energy.

### Reinterpreting three decades of observations

The researchers combined about 30 years of telescope observations into a single framework, accounting for a range of systematic effects: the influence of cosmic dust, the mass of galaxies, and the gravitational lensing effect. This comprehensive approach made it possible to reduce errors and obtain a more accurate estimate of the evolution of expansion. According to the authors, it was precisely the combination of supernova data with the cosmic microwave background and maps of galaxy distribution that revealed a deviation from the traditional view of dark energy as constant.

### Deviation from constancy

Based on the analysis, independent measurements from two different sources — supernova explosions and relic sound waves from the early Universe — indicate that the influence of dark energy is weakening over time. This means that dark energy may not be a strict cosmological constant but rather a dynamic quantity that evolves along with the expansion of the cosmos. The authors emphasize that the study is not yet complete: it will be supplemented by new observations from astrophysicists under the DEBASS (Dark Energy Bedrock All-Sky Supernova) program.

### Contradictory data

The scientific and public discourse around dark energy features differing emphases that should be presented openly. On the one hand, the classical ΛCDM model and most previous observations interpret dark energy as a constant quantity (the cosmological constant), and this interpretation remains the dominant one in cosmology to this day. On the other hand, the new arXiv study points to its evolution, while some publications propose alternative scenarios: for example, the possibility that dark energy may “feed on” dark matter and influence the shape of galaxy halos is discussed, as are scenarios in which the expansion of the Universe in the distant future could give way to a “Big Crunch.” Thus, there is no single definitive answer: these are competing interpretations of the same observations, and the final word will belong to the new data from the DEBASS program and the full peer-review cycle.

### Significance for fundamental physics

If the evolution of dark energy is confirmed, it will not only help refine our understanding of dark energy itself but also provide an important clue for unifying Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity with quantum mechanics — a task that remains one of the central challenges in modern theoretical physics. At this stage, the conclusions are preliminary: the work has been published on a preprint server and is awaiting both independent peer review and confirmation by new observations, so the results should be regarded as a strong but not yet definitive signal.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Einstein's mistake or new physics: 3,000 supernovae reveal the truth about dark energy](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/pomilka-eynshteyna-chi-nova-fizika-3000-nadnovih-1789481996.html) - Основной источник: анализ ~3000 сверхновых, механизм типа Ia, предел Чандрасекара, программа DEBASS, публикация на arXiv.
- [An ever more mysterious dark energy: could the Universe end in a “Big Crunch”?](https://www.bbc.com/russian/articles/c5yj14n29xro) - Контекст альтернативных сценариев (Большое сжатие), использован в блоке противоречивых данных.
- [Can dark energy “feed on” dark matter? How this process changes the shape of galaxy halos](https://www.ixbt.com/live/science/mozhet-li-temnaya-energiya-pitatsya-temnoy-materiey-kak-etot-process-menyaet-formu-galo-galaktik.html) - Альтернативная гипотеза взаимодействия темной энергии и темной материи, отражена в блоке противоречивых данных.
- [Dark energy may change over time: new data from supernovae](https://novosti.ua/tech/analiz-3000-sverhnovyh-vyyavil-izmenenie-temnoy-energii-vo-vremeni) - Подтверждает главный тезис об изменении темной энергии во времени по данным сверхновых.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What are Type Ia supernovae and why are they important?
**A:** They are explosions of white dwarfs in binary systems, occurring when the mass exceeds the Chandrasekhar limit. Their luminosity is nearly identical, so they are used as “standard candles” for measuring cosmic distances and the expansion of the Universe.

### Q: What exactly did the new data show?
**A:** By combining about 30 years of observations of nearly 3,000 supernovae and comparing them with the cosmic microwave background and galaxy maps, the researchers found a deviation from the model of constant dark energy: its influence appears to be weakening over time.

### Q: Is this a definitive discovery?
**A:** No. The work has been published on the arXiv preprint server, is still undergoing peer review, and the authors note that the results will be supplemented by new observations from the DEBASS program.