The universe may be younger than we thought (earthsky.org)

Posted by Kelly Kizer Whitt
January 25, 2024

Universe younger than predictions?

The standard model of cosmology – which incorporates Big Bang theory – is the leading theory explaining how our universe came to be. But some would say we’re now having a crisis in cosmology. And now here’s one more piece of evidence that casts a deeply puzzling light upon the standard model. On January 22, 2024, the Chinese Academy of Sciences said its researchers have measured the motions of satellite galaxies around a massive galaxy group. The scientists’ findings suggest that the universe is younger than the standard model predicts.
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The standard model of cosmology

The standard model of cosmology says that the universe began with a bang, followed by the formation of small structures. Those structures then merged into larger structures. Eventually, massive galaxy clusters formed web-like structures, like you can see in the simulation above.

As the universe ages, the large structures show less activity. Observing the motions of smaller satellite galaxies around the larger galaxy groups provides astronomers with useful insight. By modeling the motions of these satellite galaxies, they can infer how the structures formed and glean their ages.

And what they found was that the computer models and actual observations of the universe don’t match.
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more: https://earthsky.org/space/universe-may-be-younger-than-standard-model-predicts-satellite-galaxies/?mc_cid=91c15a420b
paywalled full paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-023-02192-6