Universe is Expanding At An Enormous Rate

The universe is expanding and it is one of the facts about the cosmic space that probably everyone knows by now. In fact, the universe has been expanding since the Bing Bang happened more than 13.5 billion years ago.

A team of researchers led by Nobel Laureate Adam Riess of the Johns Hopkins University has now discovered that the universe is actually expanding at a rate 5 to 9 percent faster than what was previously known. The research team came up with this conclusion after devising new and accurate techniques for measuring the increasing size of the universal space.

The scientists used the newly devised technique to measure the stars in 19 different galaxies that are often used as the cosmic yardsticks. These stars and supernovae pulsate in a way that enables the researchers to measure their brightness.

The ratio of the actual to the apparent brightness of the star lets researchers figure out how far they are located. The team measured approximately 2,400 Cephis stars and 300 Type Ia supernovae. The latter shines with such a reliable brightness, that the team could easily use it to measure a distance.

According to the estimated made by the research team, the universe is expanding at a rate of 45.5 miles per second per mageparsec, which is equivalent to 3.26 million light years. If the calculation made by the researchers is correct, then the distance between the cosmic objects will approximately double by the end of the next 9.8 billion years.

In addition, the researchers say that if their data is accurate, there must be a problem with the predictions that are based on the measurement of cosmic glow left from the Big Bang and the calculation of the data surrounding the cosmic microwave background radiation.

The study calculations are scheduled to be published in The Astrophysical Journal.