Insights into the Rotational Patterns of Galaxies Unveil Cosmic Enigmas
31 March 2025 · Uncategorized ·
Source: · https://technews.tw/2025/03/30/the-direction-of-galaxies-rotation-holds-cosmic-secrets/
Imagine standing on the ground and looking up into a night sky filled with spiral galaxies that resemble spinning windmills. But what if I told you that these galaxies' rotation directions might not be random, but rather an indication of the universe's own rotation? This surprising phenomenon has been revealed by recent observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
The JWST’s JADES program analyzed 263 distant spiral galaxies and found a significant discrepancy: there were 50% more galaxies spinning in directions opposite to our Milky Way than those aligned with it. Moreover, this asymmetry increases as redshifts increase. This is enough evidence for scientists to reconsider the rules of the universe; according to the standard cosmological model (ΛCDM), galaxy rotation should be random but observations show a preference towards certain orientations.
â–² JWST captured images showing galaxies rotating in directions opposite and similar to our Milky Way, marked as blue and red respectively. (Source: Cambridge University)
▲ Spiral galaxies from the GOODS-S field observed by JWST during JADES; 158 rotate oppositely while only 105 align with the rotation of the Milky Way. The analysis covers imaging in wavelengths at 4.4, 2.0 and 0.9µm within the JWST’s GOODS-S JADES region. (Source: Oxford Academic)
Scientists have several hypotheses involving cutting-edge concepts from cosmology and physics:
If there is a rotation to the universe itself, then galaxies across different regions would exhibit some directional asymmetry. As early as in 2011, astronomers found slight asymmetries in spiral galaxy rotations using Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data; now JWST’s findings further confirm that this asymmetry might be more pronounced than previously thought.
If the universe is indeed rotating, models may need to consider whether it carried a certain angular momentum from its birth. Another possibility involves an as-yet-unfamiliar cosmic physical mechanism influencing galaxy rotations: galaxies form along large filamentary structures which could have had inherent directionalities at their formation times, leading to inherited asymmetries in rotation directions.
The most extreme theory suggests that the universe might exist inside a supermassive black hole whose spin influences galactic rotational preferences. If we are within a Kerr Black Hole (Kerr Black Hole), its angular momentum would dictate those of cosmic matter and thus favor certain galaxy rotations. This 'black-hole cosmology' idea remains highly theoretical, but if more observations confirm similar phenomena in the future, our understanding of the universe will need to be fundamentally altered.
This discovery challenges current understandings about the cosmos at first glance; further observational projects like Vera C. Rubin Observatory Chile and Square Kilometre Array (SKA) are expected to verify these rotational asymmetries.
The JWST’s JADES program analyzed 263 distant spiral galaxies and found a significant discrepancy: there were 50% more galaxies spinning in directions opposite to our Milky Way than those aligned with it. Moreover, this asymmetry increases as redshifts increase. This is enough evidence for scientists to reconsider the rules of the universe; according to the standard cosmological model (ΛCDM), galaxy rotation should be random but observations show a preference towards certain orientations.
â–² JWST captured images showing galaxies rotating in directions opposite and similar to our Milky Way, marked as blue and red respectively. (Source: Cambridge University)
▲ Spiral galaxies from the GOODS-S field observed by JWST during JADES; 158 rotate oppositely while only 105 align with the rotation of the Milky Way. The analysis covers imaging in wavelengths at 4.4, 2.0 and 0.9µm within the JWST’s GOODS-S JADES region. (Source: Oxford Academic)
Scientists have several hypotheses involving cutting-edge concepts from cosmology and physics:
If there is a rotation to the universe itself, then galaxies across different regions would exhibit some directional asymmetry. As early as in 2011, astronomers found slight asymmetries in spiral galaxy rotations using Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data; now JWST’s findings further confirm that this asymmetry might be more pronounced than previously thought.
If the universe is indeed rotating, models may need to consider whether it carried a certain angular momentum from its birth. Another possibility involves an as-yet-unfamiliar cosmic physical mechanism influencing galaxy rotations: galaxies form along large filamentary structures which could have had inherent directionalities at their formation times, leading to inherited asymmetries in rotation directions.
The most extreme theory suggests that the universe might exist inside a supermassive black hole whose spin influences galactic rotational preferences. If we are within a Kerr Black Hole (Kerr Black Hole), its angular momentum would dictate those of cosmic matter and thus favor certain galaxy rotations. This 'black-hole cosmology' idea remains highly theoretical, but if more observations confirm similar phenomena in the future, our understanding of the universe will need to be fundamentally altered.
This discovery challenges current understandings about the cosmos at first glance; further observational projects like Vera C. Rubin Observatory Chile and Square Kilometre Array (SKA) are expected to verify these rotational asymmetries.