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A recent publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society presents intriguing findings from a research team led by István Szapudi at the University of Hawai’i Institute for Astronomy, suggesting that the universe may possess a slow rotation. This revelation could offer valuable insights into resolving one of astronomy’s enduring dilemmas.
“In a nod to the ancient philosopher Heraclitus, who proposed that ‘everything flows,’ we speculated that perhaps ‘everything revolves,'” explained Szapudi.
Traditional cosmological models indicate that the universe expands uniformly in all directions, showing no evidence of rotational movement. This framework aligns with a plethora of astronomical observations but falls short in addressing the persistent “Hubble tension.” This term refers to the notable discrepancy between two distinct methodologies for estimating the rate at which the universe is expanding.
Supernovae and the Big Bang
One approach for measuring expansion relies on observing distant supernovae, which enables scientists to determine galaxy distances and the universe’s expansion rate over the last several billion years. A contrasting method examines the cosmic microwave background radiation left over from the Big Bang, providing an estimate for the universe’s expansion rate during its infancy, approximately 13 billion years ago. Notably, these two techniques yield differing values for the expansion rate.
Szapudi’s research team constructed a mathematical model representing the universe, initially adhering to established principles. They then introduced a minuscule amount of rotation into the model. Remarkably, this minor adjustment produced significant outcomes.
“Surprisingly, we discovered that incorporating rotation into our model reconciles the discrepancy without conflicting with established astronomical data. Furthermore, it aligns well with alternative models that also propose rotation. Thus, it seems that indeed, everything revolves,” remarked Szapudi.
The findings suggest that the universe may complete a full rotation approximately every 500 billion years—a duration so extensive that it remains elusive to direct detection, yet sufficient to influence the expansion dynamics of space over time.
This concept does not contravene any established physical laws and might shed light on the inconsistencies surrounding various measurements of the universe’s expansion.
Looking ahead, the research team aims to develop a comprehensive computer model based on this theory and explore methods to identify evidence of this gradual cosmic rotation.
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