This multi-wavelength picture from NASA reveals a universe filled with galaxies which might be numerous shapes, colours and sizes. Most are small whereas a handful are considerably bigger. A number of stars are additionally scattered throughout the picture.
NASA/ESA/CSA/A. Pagan (STScI)/R. Jansen (ASU)/NASA
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NASA/ESA/CSA/A. Pagan (STScI)/R. Jansen (ASU)/NASA
Darkish vitality, a mysterious pressure that scientists imagine is behind the accelerated enlargement of the universe, is weakening — which may end result within the universe over the course of billions of years collapsing on itself, in line with new analysis.
An international group of greater than 900 researchers finding out the enlargement of the universe offered their findings on Wednesday in the course of the American Bodily Society’s International Physics Summit in Anaheim, Calif.
The scientists, who’re collaborating on one thing known as the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) are finding out the historical past of the universe’s enlargement out to 11 billion years prior to now.
They analyzed three years of knowledge from 15 million galaxies and quasars utilizing a sequence of devices, together with a telescope.
Scientists have believed darkish vitality was a “cosmological fixed,” however it’s really altering over time in surprising methods.
Mustapha Ishak, co-chair of DESI and an astrophysics professor on the College of Texas at Dallas, tells NPR that present information reveals that, originally of the universe, darkish vitality was very sturdy. Nevertheless it has weakened with time and can proceed to take action, he says. For that motive, Ishak argues it is time for scientists to replace their understanding of the universe.
“Is it simply [that] we’re lacking one thing massive within the mannequin of our universe and we simply do not know it? We’re simply measuring issues and it implies that we should cease, sit down and rethink our mannequin of the universe,” Ishak says. “What it is exhibiting us is….it’s really a wild sort of darkish vitality that we have to perceive and we do not perceive it but.”
Donghui Jeong, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State College who was not concerned within the analysis, tells NPR whereas it is too early to find out whether or not the outcomes from DESI are definitive, it reveals good progress is being made in understanding darkish vitality.
“If darkish vitality certainly is a time-varying part, this can open up a totally new mind-set in regards to the origin of darkish vitality,” Jeong says. “Now we have to consider how one can scrutinize the properties of darkish vitality higher from the present and future datasets.”
He is a member of the Passion-Eberly Telescope Darkish Vitality Experiment (HETDEX), is finding out darkish vitality from an earlier time within the universe’s existence than DESI. It is targeted on sound waves from the universe’s first 400,000 years.
DESI’s findings additionally bolster one other massive concept amongst some astronomers – that the universe goes to finish with a “massive crunch.” Whereas darkish vitality is weakening, in line with Ishak, matter will not be. Weak darkish vitality may strengthen matter, which ultimately may very well be the pressure that causes the universe to break down on itself, he says.
“We thought earlier than that the universe will preserve simply increasing and increasing sooner and sooner and sooner and sooner.” Ishak says. “It [almost] turns into empty. Now, it’s again to the desk that the enlargement of the universe additionally has the chance that it’s going to cease after which it should collapse.”
There isn’t any proof to indicate the universe has already stopped increasing and is collapsing on itself, Ishak says. And if that have been to occur, it will not happen for at the least one other 20 billion years, he says.
The brand new analysis builds on information launched from DESI in April 2024 that discovered indicators that darkish vitality was altering. DESI has been surveying the universe for 4 years and an evaluation of 5 years’ value of knowledge is subsequent for its analysis, Ishak says.
He hopes that information will affirm most of their findings and assist them attain a brand new degree of understanding the enigmatic pressure.
“We’ll use these numbers and we’ll attempt to discover what’s it, precisely, this darkish vitality. Is {that a} modification to gravity? Is that this a brand new components of vitality within the universe?” he says.
