Astronomers have used the James Webb and Hubble space telescopes to confirm one of the most troubling conundrums in all of physics — that the universe appears to be expanding at bafflingly different speeds depending on where we look.

This problem, known as the Hubble Tension, has the potential to alter or even upend cosmology altogether. 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, a triple-check by both telescopes working together appears to have put the possibility of any measurement error to bed for good. The study, published February 6 in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, suggests that there may be something seriously wrong with our understanding of the universe.

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99 points

Yesssss I yearn for new physics

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5 points

As a science bitch I’ve never believed in the Big Bang… I think everything has always been and will always be and it goes on forever in every direction and when I think about that my feet feel weird

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3 points

So when you run that model backwards a few billion years in your head then what do you think that looked like? I don’t follow what you mean.

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4 points

If I remember correctly, that’s basically the Einstein - de Sitter universe, one of the early cosmological models. Einstein also didn’t like the accelerated growth of the universe, he called the cosmological constant (what’s now known as dark energy) a big mistake.

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6 points

Do you have evidence to support your position? Or is this just wishful thinking?

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1 point

Well technically it would be skepticism

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40 points
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The prospect of irregular and unpredictable physics gives me anxiety

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13 points

This article https://nautil.us/chaos-makes-the-multiverse-unnecessary-236664/ made me very uncomfortable back when it was published. It takes what you say to the philosophical limit.

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4 points

Uh, I hate how that article says ‘she’ for a scientist (just as I would hate if it said ‘he’). Say ‘they’!

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3 points

Neat

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22 points
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With the universe is not being locally real, and now this… Oh man. Exciting times for sure.

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6 points

With the universe is not being locally real

What do you mean by this?

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4 points

eli5 this universe not real thing. i can never wrap my head around it.

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15 points
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Yes, discovery is awesome, and this is some crazy shit— it’s just that I prefer that the the rules that govern time and space make sense, lol.

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