James Webb Telescope Confirms that the Universe is Expanding at Different Speeds
Astronomers have used the James Webb and Hubble space telescopes to confirm one of the most puzzling notions in all of physics, that the universe appears to be expanding at different speeds.
In 2019, measurements by the Hubble Space Telescope confirmed the puzzle was real; in 2023, even more precise measurements from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) cemented the discrepancy.
Now, triple-checking both telescopes working together appears to have put the possibility of any measurement error to rest. The study, published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters , suggests that there may be something seriously wrong with our understanding of the universe.
“With measurement errors negated, what remains is the real and exciting possibility we have misunderstood the universe,” lead study author Adam Riess, professor of physics and astronomy at Johns Hopkins University, said in a statement .
There are currently two “gold standard” methods for figuring out the Hubble constant, the value that describes the expansion rate of the universe. The first involves poring over tiny fluctuations in cosmic microwave background (CMB) — an ancient relic of the universe’s first light produced just 380,000 years after the Big Bang.
