Hubble Reaches New Milestone in Mystery of Universe's Expansion Rate

[Still Waters]

Completing a nearly 30-year marathon, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has calibrated more than 40 "milepost markers" of space and time to help scientists precisely measure the expansion rate of the universe – a quest with a plot twist.

Pursuit of the universe's expansion rate began in the 1920s with measurements by astronomers Edwin P. Hubble and Georges Lemaître. In 1998, this led to the discovery of "dark energy," a mysterious repulsive force accelerating the universe's expansion. In recent years, thanks to data from Hubble and other telescopes, astronomers found another twist: a discrepancy between the expansion rate as measured in the local universe compared to independent observations from right after the big bang, which predict a different expansion value.

The cause of this discrepancy remains a mystery. But Hubble data, encompassing a variety of cosmic objects that serve as distance markers, support the idea that something weird is going on, possibly involving brand new physics.

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2022/hubble-reaches-new-milestone-in-mystery-of-universes-expansion-rate

[lightly]

3 hours ago, Still Waters said:

Completing a nearly 30-year marathon, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has calibrated more than 40 "milepost markers" of space and time to help scientists precisely measure the expansion rate of the universe – a quest with a plot twist.

Pursuit of the universe's expansion rate began in the 1920s with measurements by astronomers Edwin P. Hubble and Georges Lemaître. In 1998, this led to the discovery of "dark energy," a mysterious repulsive force accelerating the universe's expansion. In recent years, thanks to data from Hubble and other telescopes, astronomers found another twist: a discrepancy between the expansion rate as measured in the local universe compared to independent observations from right after the big bang, which predict a different expansion value.

The cause of this discrepancy remains a mystery. But Hubble data, encompassing a variety of cosmic objects that serve as distance markers, support the idea that something weird is going on, possibly involving brand new physics.

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2022/hubble-reaches-new-milestone-in-mystery-of-universes-expansion-rate

  That,  insight  “something weird is going on” is probably the greatest advancement in decades, of our understanding of the universe .  

Edited May 20, 2022 by lightly

[Earl.Of.Trumps]

Ya think something is a miss, eh? The age of the universe is  13.79B years. So one would think that the maximum the radius of the universe could be is 13.78B light years,
ya think. But in reality, the radius of the universe is 46.5B light years. 

“something weird is going on” - Yup. 

[lightly]

20 hours ago, Earl.Of.Trumps said:

Ya think something is a miss, eh? The age of the universe is  13.79B years. So one would think that the maximum the radius of the universe could be is 13.78B light years,
ya think. But in reality, the radius of the universe is 46.5B light years. 

“something weird is going on” - Yup. 

I dunno !  Good question I reckon.    But, isn’t the age of the universe simply based on how far we can see ?  We can only see back that far/long?

     And as for The radius… (the distance from the center of a circle to it’s outside edge)    46.5B light years….(from Here)!?

  Both measurements assume that WE are at the center of a circular universe?   What happens to those measurements if taken from a different location.. halfway across the observable universe??         Would the universe suddenly become Lop-Sided?  (No).   or.. Would the ‘center’ of the universe move to the new location?  (No).       Good old cormac might have some insight/knowledge on the subject.? If anyone might.   He’s so smart and knowledgeable he makes me feel even dumber than I actually am!!   

[Earl.Of.Trumps]

4 hours ago, lightly said:

I dunno !  Good question I reckon.    But, isn’t the age of the universe simply based on how far we can see ?  We can only see back that far/long?

     And as for The radius… (the distance from the center of a circle to it’s outside edge)    46.5B light years….(from Here)!?

  Both measurements assume that WE are at the center of a circular universe?   What happens to those measurements if taken from a different location.. halfway across the observable universe??         Would the universe suddenly become Lop-Sided?  (No).   or.. Would the ‘center’ of the universe move to the new location?  (No).       Good old cormac might have some insight/knowledge on the subject.? If anyone might.   He’s so smart and knowledgeable he makes me feel even dumber than I actually am!!   

The radius, of course, is the distance from the center to the edge, not the distance from *here* to the edge. 
You can ask @cormac mac airtbut I don't think he's into physics. I asked a PhD physicist and he told me that 
I would need a special physics course just to listen to the explanation. All I can say for now is, **I don't get it**  lol

[cormac mac airt]

47 minutes ago, Earl.Of.Trumps said:

The radius, of course, is the distance from the center to the edge, not the distance from *here* to the edge. 
You can ask @cormac mac airtbut I don't think he's into physics. I asked a PhD physicist and he told me that 
I would need a special physics course just to listen to the explanation. All I can say for now is, **I don't get it**  lol

Two items guys:  

1) I appreciate the vote of confidence but I’m not THAT good, I appreciate the kind words though.

2) IIRC the age commonly given is for the observable universe and NOT the universe as a whole. It also has NOTHING to do with any radii, whether from “here” to the edge or from the center which BTW doesn’t exist since all matter or energy having existed prior to the Big Bang did so at the Planck-scale which makes the entire observable universe “the center”. It relies on calculations involving the Hubble Constant as well as estimates of how much normal matter, dark matter, dark energy, etc. exist. 
 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2019/12/10/this-is-how-astronomers-know-the-age-of-the-universe-and-you-can-too/?sh=18f1b81716d5

cormac

 

 

Edited May 23, 2022 by cormac mac airt

[TripGun]

We just need some better measuring devices.

[lightly]

Thanks cormac..  (told ya he could help Earl;)    A lot of informative and interesting info..   but I must confess, I read the entire link..and am as confused as ever.      (maybe it’s just me!). . .   I wonder how the science books of the distant future will describe the nature of the Universe?   

[+DanL]

The thing is that for all we KNOW the universe is of infinite size. That means that all points can be the center with infinite distance in every direction.

I think that as time passes mankind should be able to shrink those distances. The real meaningful distance is two things. One is the actual measured distance but to people what has more meaning is how long it will take to go from point A to point B. We have regularly shrunk the distance we consider close.

I live in the woods near a tiny town that is about 25 miles from a small city. Basically, I am in the suburbs of a small town but it is a quick trip to town so it isn't a problem. If on the other hand, I was riding a horse or heaven forbid WALKING, that trip to town would be quite a journey.

I think that someday we will go to the planets. We are eventually going to need their resources. The asteroid belt probably has a lot to offer but it is unimaginably huge.

I really had thought that by now we would be farther along than we are. We have stumbled and I don't know if the US is going to be the leader into the next stage of human development.