Galaxies spinning in the same direction<\/p>\n
A research team from Kansas State University has reported something astonishing in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: most early galaxies appear to be spinning the same way. \u201cIt\u2019s so obvious that anyone can see it in the data,\u201d said Lior Shamir, a computer science professor and lead author of the study.<\/p>\n
Astronomers long believed that the number of galaxies spinning clockwise versus counterclockwise should be roughly equal. But when the team analysed the James Webb data, they found that nearly two-thirds were rotating in a clockwise direction. In other words, the early Universe seems to have had a surprising sense of order \u2013 and no one saw it coming.<\/p>\n
K-State researcher\u2019s study makes puzzling observation about Milky Way, deep space galaxies\u2019 rotations<\/p>\n
Source: Kansas State University \u2014 marylynnjuszczak (@marylynnjuszcza) March 12, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n Reality or illusion?<\/p>\n So what\u2019s going on here? The researchers have two possible explanations. One is that the Universe itself may have been born in rotation. If that\u2019s true, it should have left a detectable mark on cosmic background radiation \u2013 yet no such evidence has been found so far. This idea ties into some of the most dizzying theories in modern physics, including the possibility that our Universe exists inside an enormous black hole<\/a>. \u201cIf the Universe truly began spinning, it means our current models are incomplete,\u201d Shamir said.<\/p>\n The other explanation is a little less mind-blowing: it might all be an illusion. Because the Earth is also rotating around the center of the Milky Way, that motion could slightly brighten galaxies spinning in the opposite direction, skewing the data. Until now, astronomers dismissed the effect as negligible, but the new findings suggest they may need to reconsider.<\/p>\n \u201cWe might have to recalibrate our measurements of deep-space distances,\u201d Shamir added. \u201cThat could even shed light on other unsolved mysteries in cosmology, like why the Universe seems to expand at different rates \u2013 or why some giant galaxies appear older than the Universe itself.\u201d<\/p>\n Whether this discovery proves to be a cosmic illusion or a genuine clue to how everything began, one thing is clear: the James Webb Telescope has once again reminded us that the Universe<\/a> still holds plenty of surprises.<\/p>\n Nathalie Mayer<\/p>\n Journalist<\/p>\n Born in Lorraine on a freezing winter night, storytelling has always inspired me, first through my grandmother’s tales and later Stephen King’s imagination. A physicist turned science communicator, I’ve collaborated with institutions like CEA, Total, Engie, and Futura. Today, I focus on unraveling Earth’s complex environmental and energy challenges, blending science with storytelling to illuminate solutions.<\/p>\n \t\t
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