Posted on 04/19/2025 9:24:25 PM PDT by Red Badger
The entire universe may be rotating—just like its individual components, from massive galaxies to solar systems and planets—a possibility that could help explain the long-standing “Hubble tension” that has puzzled scientists for years.
None of the currently accepted models of the universe account for any overall spin. Instead, they describe it as expanding uniformly in all directions. However, these models run into trouble with the so-called Hubble tension, a discrepancy where different methods of measuring the universe’s expansion yield conflicting results.
“To paraphrase the Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus, who famously said ‘Panta Rhei’—everything moves—we thought that perhaps Panta Kykloutai—everything turns,” said István Szapudi of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, co-author of the new study.
Measuring the Expansion
Astrophysicists currently rely on two main techniques to measure how fast the universe is expanding. One involves observing relatively recent events, such as supernovae and distant galaxies, to measure expansion over the last few billion years. The other looks much farther back—about 13 billion years—by studying relic radiation from the Big Bang.
“The Hubble tension, the inconsistency of the late and early time measurements of the universe’s expansion rate, emerges as the most significant chink in the otherwise shiny armour of the concordance Lambda cold dark matter (CDM) model,” the authors write in their paper.
The “Hubble constant”—a term first proposed by astronomer Edwin Hubble in 1929—defines the universe’s rate of expansion. Yet researchers have long struggled to agree on a precise value, with measurements consistently producing different results. Despite increasing observational data, the Hubble constant has remained elusive. This growing inconsistency is considered the most significant flaw in the prevailing CDM model of the universe.
“The discrepancy has been established in a wide range of data sets,” the authors add.
Modeling the Universe
The research team began with a conventional mathematical model of the universe based on expected behavior. Their innovation was to introduce a small degree of rotation. When tested against existing measurements, the modified model proved surprisingly accurate.
“Much to our surprise, we found that our model with rotation resolves the paradox without contradicting current astronomical measurements. Even better, it is compatible with other models that assume rotation. Therefore, perhaps, everything really does turn. Or, Panta Kykloutai!” said Szapudi.
A Slow Spin
In their revised model, the universe rotates slowly—completing a full revolution once every 500 billion years. While such a slow spin would be extremely difficult to detect, it may account for the discrepancies observed in current measurements of universal expansion. The model doesn’t fundamentally alter the laws of physics but suggests a different overall shape or motion for the universe.
The researchers also constrained their model to ensure the rotational speed remains below the speed of light. Intriguingly, they found that “the allowed maximal rotation is approximately the same as the one required to solve the Hubble Puzzle.”
To continue their work, the team plans to enhance their computer model. The current version relies on Newtonian physics, which is sufficient for initial exploration but will need to incorporate general relativity for more accurate modeling. Proving that the universe spins will be a far greater challenge—scientists don’t yet know how such a slow rotation could be directly observed.
The paper “Can Rotation Solve the Hubble Puzzle?” appeared on March 21, 2025 in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
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Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org, and follow him on Twitter @mdntwvlf.
Ping!....................
Seems obvious, but I am not an astrophysicist.
To everything, turn, turn, turn
There is a season, turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
To everything, turn, turn, turn
There is a season, turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose, under heaven
🎶”…I’m so dizzy, my head spinning…”🎶
First 45 record I ever bought.............
Yes, but is it a left-handed spin or a right-handed spin ?
I don’t even know where we are.
They tell me we’re circling a star.
I’ll take their word, I don’t know.
But I’m dizzy so it may be so.
Maybe that's the reason all the components are rotating.
OR, maybe the spin of the components is what makes the Universe rotate. Like jillions of pinion gears inside one giant toothed wheel.
Everything that exists is rotating,spinning, or vibrating (which is just a tracing of the spin and rotation as the universe spins). Molecules are no different than planets or galaxies. As you well know, everything is molecules. As already mentioned, it just seems obvious. Often the obvious escapes us. Me more than others.
That reminds me of the theological comment, "As above, so below."
Hogwash!
Merely the vision of a drug-addled mind...
Angular momentum is conserved. That suggests a whole different universe somewhere that is spinning in the opposite direction.
Spinning with respect to what? If that something is outside of the universe then the universe is not all that exists, which violates the definition of a universe.
This would imply the many worlds postulate may be true.
No wonder I feel dizzy.
“Of course it’s spinning.....................”
Absolutely. I have figured this was the case since I started to learn about cosmology as a youngster. My question has been if everything spins and orbits from the Atom up why would the universe break this rule? It is like knowing all the Heavenly Bodies are spheres but claiming the Earth is unique and flat. Occam’s Razor should dictate that as a general rule everything spins from the tiniest Particle up to the Universes themselves, why would the natural obvious pattern stop?.
I think there are many Universes in a spinning Galaxy style arrangement. And possibly even many of those Universe Galaxies... I think it is much much bigger than we will even allow ourselves to comprehend. If we took down this mental firewall and started to do the math based on this probability as even just hypothetical like they are doing here it might just answer a whole lot of unexplained mysteries.
Unfortunately in our self arrogance we just know the Earth is still flat and maintain those firewalls. Even hypothetical thought is heresy. “But what if?” is taboo thought...
This is a good article and topic Red Badger, thank you.
Agreed! - Good thinking. Just because it’s difficult to measure the rotation doesn’t mean there isn’t any. Now that you’ve brought it up, it seems obvious to assume that it is rotating since most of the objects in it are rotating and orbiting already.
Relativity implies that there is no absolute frame of reference.
If the universe is spinning then the center of spin could be considered such an absolute frame. Any actual physicists chime in?
If the universe is all that there is in the physical world, as Carl Sagan said, then how can anybody say that it is spinning? Relative to what?
How would anybody know? What force outside of the universe set it spinning?
I don’t really care, and I’m sick of all these theories that are totally unproveable.
Happy Easter everyone!
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