Analyzing data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, researchers found a surprising asymmetry in the rotation of galaxies. Of the 263 objects studied, ⅔ of them move clockwise, while only a third move counterclockwise. This contradicts the well-established theory of a uniform distribution of rotation directions, revealing new questions about the nature of the universe. The study is published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Kansas State University associate professor Lior Shamir, who led the study as part of the JADES program, suggested that this asymmetry could indicate that the universe was born rotating. One hypothesis links this to the concept of “black hole cosmology”, which assumes that the cosmos exists inside a black hole, which in turn is part of another Universe. This idea echoes Schwarzschild theory of cosmology, which describes galaxies as “trapped” in black holes.
According to physicist Nicodemus Poplawski, if the Universe originated in a black hole, its rotation could have set the direction of galaxies. Such a model would explain why most of them rotate synchronously. Interestingly, the JWST observations also hint: other black holes may be “bridges” to unreachable Universes, since light cannot leave their boundaries.
However, Shamir does not rule out that the Milky Way’s own rotation affected the results. Earth moving around the center of a galaxy can “illuminate” galaxies spinning oppositely, distorting observations. If so, astronomers will have to rethink how they measure distances in space.
“Recalibration would help solve other mysteries, such as discrepancies in the expansion rate of the Universe or the existence of galaxies that look older than the cosmos itself,” Shamir noted.
While the study only reveals the tip of the iceberg, it points to underlying connections between the structure of the Universe and exotic phenomena such as black holes. Scientists will now have to test whether the asymmetry of galaxy rotation is the key to a new cosmological model – or simply a reflection of our own motion in space.
Earlier we reported on how James Webb revealed the secrets of one of the first galaxies in the Universe.
According to k-state.edu
