Galaxies may move faster in certain directions.
Image: NASA/CXC/IoA/A. Fabian et al. (x-ray); NRAO/VLA/G. Taylor (radio); NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage/STScI/AURA and A. Fabian University of Cambridge/IoA (optical)
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The Best Science Writing Online 2012
Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...
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The universe has no center and no edge, no special regions tucked in among the galaxies and light. No matter where you look, it’s the same—or so physicists thought. This cosmological principle—one of the foundations of the modern understanding of the universe—has come into question recently as astronomers find evidence, subtle but growing, of a special direction in space.
The first and most well-established data point comes from the cosmic microwave background (CMB), the so-called afterglow of the big bang. As expected, the afterglow is not perfectly smooth—hot and cold spots speckle the sky. In recent years, however, scientists have discovered that these spots are not quite as randomly distributed as they first appeared—they align in a pattern that points out a special direction in space. Cosmologists have theatrically dubbed it the “axis of evil.”
More hints of a cosmic arrow come from studies of supernovae, stellar cataclysms that briefly outshine entire galaxies. Cosmologists have been using supernovae to map the accelerating expansion of the universe (a feat that garnered this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics). Detailed statistical studies reveal that supernovae are moving even faster in a line pointing just slightly off the axis of evil. Similarly, astronomers have measured galaxy clusters streaming through space at a million miles an hour toward an area in the southern sky.
What could all this mean? Perhaps nothing. “It could be a fluke,” says Dragan Huterer, a cosmologist at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, or it could be a subtle error that has crept into the data (despite careful efforts). Or, Huterer says, perhaps we are seeing the first signs of “something amazing.” The universe’s first burst of expansion could have lasted a little longer than we thought, introducing a tilt to it that still persists today. Another possibility is that at large scales, the universe could be rolled up like a tube, curved in one direction and flat in the others, according to Glenn D. Starkman, a cosmologist at Case Western Reserve University. Alternatively, the so-called dark energy—the bewildering stuff accelerating the universe’s expansion—might act differently in different places.
For now, the data remain preliminary—subtle signs that something may be wrong with our standard understanding of the universe. Scientists are eagerly anticipating the data from the Planck satellite, which is currently measuring the CMB from a quiet spot 930,000 miles up. It will either confirm earlier measurements of the axis of evil or show them to be ephemera. Until then, the universe could be pointing us anywhere.
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20 Comments
Add CommentSeems to me that many years ago it was determined that there was a huge stream of galaxies moving at millions of miles per hour towards a "great attractor". Was that ever proved or disproved?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDavid, this is SciAm. If you're trying to make a political jibe, at least get it right. Under the current White House administration, economic inflation has been extremely low compared to historical averages (1.7%). The highest rates of inflation in the last half century occurred in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Carter and Reagan administrations. Home interest rates peaked at just over 20%. Annual COL on retail sales climbed 11.6% in 1981. Using your logic, I'd suggest our domain be known as the Carter-Reagan Cosmos.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe trusty old inflating balloon model is often used to illustrate expanding spactime, showing how the objects located on the surface of the balloon are actually all expanding away from each other, even though for an observer located within any of those objects, all other objects seem to be receding away from his special location. This represents our common perspective of expanding spacetime.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHowever, while all objects on the surface of the balloon appear to be expanding omnidirectionally away from each other, from the perspective of an (impossible) external observer the (spherical) balloon is actually expanding radially from a central focal point. However, as it expands radially, it implicitly also must expand increasingly diagonally, producing the apparent omnidirectional expansion.
I suggest that in the early universe expansion was primarily radially directed away from a central focal point, but expansion increasingly took on a lateral directional component, eventually producing the current omnidirectional expansion of universal spacetime.
Any observations of objects in the early universe would indicate their primarily radially directed expansion, seemingly receding away from our observation location.
I hope this helps to explain how the observed directional expansion of a portion of observable objects in the early universe might seem to violate the apparently universal omnidirectional expansion of spacetime.
I imagine the universe to be rotating like a all things in the universe seems to rotate. Starting from the subatomic level, things rotate or spin around each other,we have solar systems that rotate around suns that rotate around black holes in galaxies and galaxies are rotating around in the universe and the universe is rotating around in what ever medium it exists in along with all the other universes. And as the speed of rotation is different further out of from center axis, then the galaxies would move at different rates.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDark matter is supposed to keep outer members rotating faster than it should. It should also apply universally, don't you think?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI agree about the balloon thing. If nothing else the expansion would ultimately exceed the speed of light.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI also have trouble with gravity being explained with the rubber sheet scenario. It would take gravity acting on the ball to make a dimple in the sheet, before it could exhibit a capturing curve. In other words gravity is used to explain gravity. Where in the scheme of things is there the equivalent of a rubber sheet? Even further there would have to be an infinite number of sheets to account for gravity to be present in all directions. Methinks the gravitational deflection of light requires a better explanation. More later on this subject.
I don't really believe in dark matter as is described by the current theories. I do believe that the theory concerning gravity is missing something. I admit I have no idea what! But my mind feels something is missing in our understanding, perhaps it is some kinda of dark matter or maybe it is an effect of mass and/or electromagnetism that we can not understand. I am not capable of figuring it out, I just have an active imagination!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this@GarGoyleFun
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSome of what U said is true. But galaxies are not in a rotational motion around the Universe. As far as the Universe being in rotation around whatever, no such proof as ever been found. And even if the possibility existed You'd still have to define why that motion causes this action
@JTDwyer
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIm not sure i get what you're trying to get at here James. For there to have been a lateral direction there would have to be a cause to it.
And no part of the BigBang theory can account for it or justify such a preference of axis for the expansion of the Universe.
But personally i think that with all the discrepancies between reality and Relativity it's would be time to re-examine relativity, the only theory filled with asymptotic curves ever accepted by science in all of the scientific endeavour's history.
So there may be a point to everything? I will sleep better tonight. All kidding aside an interesting "new frontier"
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThat old movie, The Diamond Lens and the old theory that our universe is nothing but a sub-atomic partical on a humongous spec of Dandruff on a Very Large Policeman's collar may just be the way it is. Seems we cannot visualize the Biggest or the Smallest of anything, let alone which way this bubble is popping. The Speed of Light may not be the only way for the human optical system to measure OUR universes distances as we know them, but simply a mistake of our ego to think WE are important and the center of all thought. Suggest looking for many other "rays" to see with.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisVery good reply. Kudos to you.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHow would we be able to tell if the Universe were rotating? Without any outside reference point, I can't understand how anyone could tell if there is rotation. Maybe, if it were rotating, it might explain why, 13 billion years ago, objects were moving away faster than closer objects are observed to be moving now. What we observe in the most distant objects, is that when the observed light left them, they were moving away faster than the much closer objects are observed to be moving at much later dates(When their light was emitted). We have no way to know where the most distant observed objects are now. They could have slowed, stopped, or still be accelerating away, but much farther away than 13 billion light years distance, which is where they were when the observed light was emitted.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPerhaps we are just an atom in a piece of lint.
Space has no special direction. For any observer the universe is a sphere whose center is occupied by himself. No observer can observe the universe from “outside” the sphere and every observer is the center of its own sphere. The periphery is its limit at 13.7 billions light years away from him and recedes at the speed of light, becoming bigger. Everything in this sphere is more or less in the past from the observer, being just himself in the present time. The big bang is the periphery if we accept that in the same degree as the object that recedes from the observer close to the speed of light becomes shorter to him in their common axis, the object’s traverse plane to this axis must become reciprocally augmented in order to keep symmetry. The other possible way we can imagine (but not observe) the universe is also like a sphere (or balloon), where its two dimension periphery is the universe expanding at light speed, and its center is the big bang.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPlease read the following theories of DURGADAS DATTA published in ASTRONOMY.NET in year 2002. The papers are--1/ Misjudgements by NEWTON,--2/-Balloon inside balloon theory of matter and antimatter universe on opposite entropy path producing gravitoethertons at common boundary we call DARK ENERGY. --3/- ETHER=GRAVITY=DARK ENERGY theory of gravitoethertons consisting of five GOD PARTICLES AS DARK ENERGY. So it is evident that rebounce recyclic theory of universes may given a direction at the last rebounce due to position of seeds of black holessurvived evaporation from the last collapse. THEREFORE RECYCLIC REBOUNCE NON ISOTROPIC FIVE GOD PARTICLES BY CHANCE HAS PRODUCED A LIVE UNIVERSE WE LIVE IN THIS PARTICULAR DANCE OF LORD SHIVA.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo let me see if I got this right...If the balloon thingy pops, we get all covered in this dark matter goo! Right?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSee, simple.
The cosmological principle is not quite applicable when it comes to rotational motion. The observation of a preferred direction of a rotational axis is correct.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe whole universe is intrinsically rotating and that drags sub structures such as galaxies to rotate in alignment with the preferred axis of evil. Recent observations of galaxy rotation orientations in a certain direction proves this. This also proves that our 3D+1 universe is embedded in a higher bulk dimension.
It is then apparent that the big bang started with a rotation at an external origin in bulk space.
cosmicdarkmatter.
That's Not funny.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhy deal with a joker, the feeble-minded?
Since the vector exists, let's surmise.
It is no wonder that there is not much discussion in the popular press about what this article refers to in its second paragraph as the "axis of evil." Why? Well, the answer lies in the very nature of what this expression refers to. It is the extraordinary alignment in the CMB found in 2005 by Joao Magueijo and Kate Land. This alignment which has not been explained away by any known systemic error in observation and which has been confirmed over and over by scientists since 2005 shows an astounding, but nevertheless quite unambiguous contradiction to the standard Big Bang inflationary cosmological model. Also, the chances of this alignment being one of random coincidence is extremely small, so small in fact as to be utterly laughable. At the same time the alignment (aka: "axis of evil") is an incredibly strong and compelling piece of evidence pointing to a geocentric universe!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt is this concrete scientifically observed gigantic piece of a cosmological jigsaw puzzle which is serving to build an ever stronger case for geocentrism that has many modern cosmologists/astro-physicists scrambling for answers. Can you blame them? Geocentrism, if established as the reigning cosmological paradigm would completely overturn their modern scientific apple cart. The ramifications of this would reach well beyond the halls of academia and professional research labs. In short a geocentric universe would mean that the secular priests of science had got it wrong on the most basic issues of science and their much vaunted world of Einstein et al science would come crashing down like a house of cards.
But, why then exactly would the axis be called "evil?" I can do no better than to quote Dr. Robert Bennet (Ph.D. in General Relativity), the co-author of Galileo Was Wrong: The Church Was Right (www.galileowaswrong.com), probably the most comprehensive and detailed scientific treatise on the issue of heliocentric versus geocentric cosmology ever offered to the public. He states in Chapter 10 of said book: "Because it represents a return to the forbidden days of five centuries ago, when all science was geocentric/geostatic. It is the plain indication of an inherently inhomogeneous and anisotropic universe."
This is simply beyond the pale for so much of the scientific world. Geocentrism is by philosophical pre-disposition absolutely unacceptable for a great many scientists. For them, heliocentrism along with the Copernican and Cosmological Principles are sacrosanct. They are to be accepted with a blind faith!
James Phillips
This article confusingly mixes together two unrelated phenomena. Highly red-shifted supernovae retreat from us because of the expansion of intervening space. Streaming galaxies move within space -- drawn, presumably, by gravity. Totally different. Some string theorists have suggested that the gravity is that of a neighboring universe in a hyperdimensional multiverse.
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