Millions of exploding vampire stars could unveil the mystery behind the universe's enigmatic force (photo).

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, located in Chile and set to begin operations at the end of this year, will uncover millions of exploding "vampire" stars that feed on their companion stars. Data from Type Ia supernovae will assist scientists in unraveling the mystery of dark energy, an unknown force that accelerates the expansion of the universe, researchers believe, as reported by Space.

The light from Type Ia supernovae, which occur when white dwarfs (the remnants of less massive stars) explode, is so uniform that astronomers use it to measure distances in space. This, in turn, can reveal how much the universe has expanded.

According to astronomer Anaïs Meller, the observations from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory regarding Type Ia supernovae will enhance our understanding of how the universe is expanding and shed light on the secret of mysterious dark energy.

White dwarf stars typically exist in binary systems and, like vampires, siphon material from their companion stars. This process continues until the white dwarf accumulates a critical mass, leading to the explosion and disappearance of such stars.

For the next 10 years, the telescope at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory will scan the cosmos every night, facilitating a better study of Type Ia supernovae before they vanish. The availability of data on a greater number of Type Ia supernovae located at various distances from Earth will enable scientists to construct a more accurate model of how dark energy affects the universe.

Currently, it is believed that dark energy makes up 68% of all matter and energy in the universe, but this was not always the case. Whatever dark energy is, it appears to have "turned on" only when the universe was between 9 and 10 billion years old. Prior to that, matter dominated the universe, and before that, it was governed by the energy of the Big Bang.

The standard cosmological model of the universe's evolution, Lambda-CDM, suggests that dark energy is constant and does not change over time. However, recent observations indicate that this may not be the case, although further confirmation is needed.

Astronomers believe that the Vera C. Rubin Observatory could accurately determine whether dark energy is constant or not, and may also help in understanding what dark energy actually is.