New measurement brings us closer to understanding the Universe’s rate of expansion
Researchers have used gravitational wave data from a neutron star collision to provide a new measurement of the Hubble Constant, the rate at which the universe expands. This finding helps address the 'Hubble tension,' a long-standing disagreement between two existing methods of measuring cosmic expansion.
Why it matters
Resolving the Hubble tension is fundamental to understanding the physics of the early universe, dark matter, and the ultimate fate of the cosmos.
An artists conception of the GW170817 afterglow being observed by an antenna of the Very Large Array. The jet of material launched away from the merging neutron stars causes a radio glow as it interacts with the surrounding gas, which moves with time across the sky. Image Credit: Carl Knox, OzGrav, Swinburne University of Technology.
The international team led by researchers at the Swinburne University of Technology and CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, combined telescope and gravitational wave data in an attempt to unlock the true value of the Universe’s expansion, called the Hubble Constant.
Knowing how fast the Universe is expanding is extremely important, as it helps scientists to determine how large or far away objects are, the role of dark matter in the evolution of the Universe, as well as the Universe’s origin and ultimate fate.
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