For the last 7 billion years, it has been all downhill

For the last little bit (7 billion years) the universe has been expanding at a rapid rate. This is different than what happened before that when the universe was a massive primordial soup, still hot and murky, and expanding at a slower rate.

Then, 7 billion years ago (I think it was a Tuesday), the universe has sufficiently expanded where things cooled down, matter began to matter, and the pace of universal expansion picked up.

But hey, why leave it to me to explain? Here’s some really technical analysis (let me know if you want me to explain it again to you)

“If we think of the universe as a roller coaster, then today we are rushing downhill, gaining speed as we go,” said Nicolas Busca (French Centre National de la Recherche), one of the lead authors on the study, said via press release. “Our new measurement tells us about the time when the universe was climbing the hill — still being slowed by gravity.”

…

“It looks like the roller coaster crested the hill just about seven billion years ago, and we’re still going,” said Busca.

Quasars Help Shed Light on Dark Energy Mystery : Discovery News.