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Puzzling observation by JWST: Galaxies in the deep universe rotate in the same direction:
In just over three years since its launch, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has generated significant and unprecedented insights into the far reaches of space, and a new study by a Kansas State University researcher provides one of the simplest and most puzzling observations of the deep universe yet.
In images of the deep universe taken by the James Webb Space Telescope Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey, the vast majority of the galaxies rotate in the same direction, according to research by Lior Shamir, associate professor of computer science at the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering. About two thirds of the galaxies rotate clockwise, while just about a third of the galaxies rotate counterclockwise.
The study—published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society—was done with 263 galaxies in the JADES field that were clear enough to identify their direction of rotation.
"The analysis of the galaxies was done by quantitative analysis of their shapes, but the difference is so obvious that any person looking at the image can see it," Shamir said. "There is no need for special skills or knowledge to see that the numbers are different. With the power of the James Webb Space Telescope, anyone can see it."
In a random universe, the number of galaxies that rotate in one direction should be roughly the same as the number of galaxies that rotate in the other direction. The fact that JWST shows that most galaxies rotate in the same direction is therefore unexpected.
"It is still not clear what causes this to happen, but there are two primary possible explanations," Shamir said.
"One explanation is that the universe was born rotating. That explanation agrees with theories such as black hole cosmology, which postulates that the entire universe is the interior of a black hole. But if the universe was indeed born rotating it means that the existing theories about the cosmos are incomplete."
The Earth also rotates around the center of the Milky Way galaxy, and because of the Doppler shift effect, researchers expect that light coming from galaxies rotating the opposite of the Earth's rotation is generally brighter because of the effect.
That could be another explanation for why such galaxies are overrepresented in the telescope observations, Shamir said. Astronomers may need to reconsider the effect of the Milky Way's rotational velocity—which had traditionally been considered to be too slow and negligible in comparison to other galaxies—on their measurements.
"If that is indeed the case, we will need to re-calibrate our distance measurements for the deep universe," he said.
"The re-calibration of distance measurements can also explain several other unsolved questions in cosmology, such as the differences in the expansion rates of the universe and the large galaxies that, according to the existing distance measurements, are expected to be older than the universe itself."
Journal Reference: Lior Shamir, The distribution of galaxy rotation in JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2025). DOI: 10.1093/mnras/staf292
(Score: 4, Interesting) by anubi on Monday April 14, @07:09AM (4 children)
Does Conservation of Momentum survive being deconstructed by the physics of a black hole?
I've had a belief that our universe is rotating. Although the angular velocity is glacial by comparison to human lifespan, the diameter is huge. I get the idea that by just standing on Earth, I am traveling at close to the speed of light, just as I travel faster on a merry-go-round ( toward the edge ) than I travel at the center of the ride ( where I simply rotate ), which would be the same speed if I had simply stepped off the ride.
With Einstein's observation of relativity, this might explain why time, mass, and gravity ( time-space curvature ) exist, and how time can elapse at different rates at different places, even though I would not be able to sense this with my biological sensors, as I only sense ratios ).
I can't help but think that the redshift we observe as a function of distance is actually an artifact of straight-line versus the curved ( Coriolis) trajectory something traveling at a finite fixed speed would take.
I get the idea this redshift Doppler thing has something to do with the spiral arms we observe...as the galaxy rotates, they stretch. If they were static, like wagon wheel spokes, and not stretching, the redshift would not exist.
But then, we weren't being constantly slung apart by rotational inertia, would black holes stop evaporating into subatomic particles, which seems to reassemble themselves into hydrogen in places ( like the centers of stars and planets ). Where else is all that hydrogen in Natural Gas come from? Being light and tiny as it is, it should have all outgassed eons ago.
So, is the Universe one-time or eternal? Static or is it cyclic? I get the idea that it is eternal, "globally" static, but locally dynamic, with the only thing constant being the sum of energy and mass, even though the ratio oscillates.
I am not a astrophysicist, which is probably blatantly obvious to someone who is. I am likely more full of BS than a bull.
I am just running this up the pole to see what comes back. I find often if I want to learn something, I must first acknowledge my ignorance.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 14, @11:01AM
Although the angular velocity is glacial by comparison to human lifespan, the diameter is huge. I get the idea that by just standing on Earth, I am traveling at close to the speed of light
The Universe cannot be rigid. It doesn't need to be - water circling the drain of a sink will show higher angular velocity close to the drain.
Has someone measured the epsilon/mu of the vacuum some billion ly away? What warranty we have they are the same?
(that's to say waaaay more explanation exist for the redshift. Including the Universe is falling into a black-hole
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 14, @02:30PM (2 children)
Circling the drain.. coriolis effect
(Score: 3, Funny) by bzipitidoo on Monday April 14, @05:32PM (1 child)
Well, I have thought the shape of a galaxy spiral matches the shape of water spiraling down a toilet bowl. Which means that the universe is a sh*tty place?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 14, @06:39PM
Doesn't really matter, it's only meant to be used once while we island hop to nirvana