Once upon a time, people were shocked to learn that the universe was expanding. In the 1990s. followed by a new blow, because it turned out that this expansion is happening with acceleration. However, a new study indicates that the expansion rate is even higher than previously thought.
The universe sprang from the Big Bang and began to expand from a super-dense and super-hot state, increasing volumes and decreasing temperature. New research has shown that the expansion rate can be 10% higher than predicted. In addition, scientists can now state with confidence that this inconsistency cannot be called a common coincidence.
Graphic representation of the singularity of the universe
The fact is that on the theory of expansion our understanding of how outer space functions is built. The new figure will make changes to existing theories. Scientists say they did not expect to see anything like it. It is important that the study of expansion will greatly affect the understanding of the nature of dark energy, because it is considered to be responsible for the expansion of the Universe. In a new study, scientists used the Hubble Space Telescope to study the 70 variable Cepheids located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (satellite galaxy of the Milky Way). These stars are called standard candles, because they reduce and increase the brightness with a predictable speed indicator, which allows you to accurately calculate the distance to them.
It is important to understand that the expansion rate affects the value of the Hubble constant. The expected expansion rate (according to the Hubble law) is 67.8 km / s per megaparsec. However, the new number increases the speed to 74 km / s per megaparsec. Interestingly, the uncertainty on the value of the new number is only 1.9%, which is much lower than in previous calculations (10% in 2001 and 5% in 2009).
The rate of expansion of the universe is important for scientists. They need to understand how rapidly the Universe is expanding today and whether it converges to show how fast it should expand (based on the physics of the early Universe). If there is a large discrepancy, then scientists could make a serious mistake in the cosmological model.
