Hubble identifies unusual wrinkle in expansion rate of the universe

By Ashley Strickland, CNN

Updated 5:51 PM ET, Mon May 23, 2022


(CNN)Measuring the expansion rate of the universe was one of the Hubble Space Telescope's main goals when it was launched in 1990.

Over the past 30 years, the space observatory has helped scientists discover and refine that accelerating rate -- as well as uncover a mysterious wrinkle that only brand-new physics may solve.

Hubble has observed more than 40 galaxies that include pulsating stars as well as exploding stars called supernovae to measure even greater cosmic distances. Both of these phenomena help astronomers to mark astronomical distances like mile markers, which have pointed to the expansion rate.

In the quest to understand how quickly our universe expands, astronomers already made one unexpected discovery in 1998: "dark energy." This phenomenon acts as a mysterious repulsive force that accelerates the expansion rate.

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https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/23/world/hubble-universe-expansion-rate-scn/index.html