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  • Science Illustrated

    Cosmic speedometer displays two results: WHY DO WE LIVE IN A TWO-SPEED UNIVERSE?

    Nov 18, 2020 7 minutes
    By Henrik Bendix

    PLANCK

    TYPE: Space telescope

    OPERATION: 2009-2013

    WAVELENGTH: From micro waves to the infrared spectrum

    MISSION: Measuring temperature differences of cosmic background radiation

    You are driving in a car between two cities, trying to measure your speed. The car’s speedometer says you are travelling at a constant 74, but when you measure the distance on a map and divide by the final time spent travelling, the result is 67.4. Where is the error? Is the speedo badly calibrated, did you make an incorrect measurement – or is it something else?

    The world’s astronomers are facing a similar problem, except that they are trying to measure not the distance between two cities, rather the speed at which the universe is expanding. Just like the car journey, they have reached two different results. The measurements behind each result have been carefully checked for errors – without any being found. But if the leading theories about the content and development of the universe are correct, they can’t both be right.

    All astronomers agree that the universe is expanding, making galaxies move away from each other. The chief question is the speed at which the galaxies are spreading

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