(ORDO NEWS) — Data from the Hubble Space Telescope revealed a discrepancy regarding the expansion of space.
There’s certainly a lot we don’t understand about the universe, and one of the most enduring mysteries is that the cosmos is expanding at an accelerating rate.
For years, scientists have been collecting data and making astronomical observations in an attempt to accurately calculate the rate of this expansion and understand what might be driving it.
Now NASA has reported that the latest data from the Hubble Space Telescope seems to support the idea that something “strange” is happening – there is an unusual discrepancy in the rate of expansion of the Universe around us compared to observations made immediately after the Big Bang.
The conclusions are based on nearly 30 years of observations, during which the telescope calibrated “mile markers” to help scientists calculate the expansion rate.
“You get the most accurate measurement of the expansion rate of the universe with gold-standard telescopes and space mile markers,” said study leader and Nobel laureate Adam Riess.
That’s what the Hubble Space Telescope was built for, using the best techniques we know.” It’s most likely a Hubble magnum opus, because it would take another 30 years of Hubble’s life to even double that sample size.”
This discrepancy suggests that the expansion of the universe is much more complex than expected, and may involve new physics that we do not yet understand.
It is hoped that future observations with newer telescopes such as James Webb will provide additional data that will help solve this cosmic mystery once and for all.
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