Question

As far as I understand it, dark energy can affect bound systems at cosmological scales (How does dark energy affect the dynamics of galaxy clusters?) effectively modifying their orbits.

This phenomenon and this thesis dissertation made me wonder...

Could dark energy make a bound system (like a large galaxy or a satellite galaxy orbiting a bigger one) be less bound so that the orbits respective to the central point of mass are larger?

And if dark energy would help to make orbits be further away from the central point of mass, does it mean that dark energy could add orbital energy to bodies orbiting the center of the galaxy at the outskirts of it?

Answer 1

Dark energy is a mysterious force that pushes spacetime apart and causes the expansion of the universe to accelerate. Though it affects the dynamics of galaxy clusters, its impact on individual galactic systems, such as large galaxies or satellite galaxies, is unclear. Dark energy mainly influences the expansion of the universe at cosmological scales, rather than the orbits of objects within galaxies.

Step-by-step explanation:

Dark energy is a mysterious force that pushes spacetime apart, causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate. While dark energy is known to affect the dynamics of galaxy clusters by influencing their overall motion and structure, its impact on individual galactic systems is less clear.

However, it is unlikely that dark energy would make a bound system, like a large galaxy or a satellite galaxy orbiting a bigger one, be less bound and have larger orbits. Dark energy primarily affects the expansion of the universe on cosmological scales, rather than the orbits of individual objects within galaxies.