Scientists admit that they are unable to explain the phenomenon of the expansion of the Universe

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have once again confirmed one of the most mysterious anomalies in physics: The Universe is expanding at different rates at different stages of its existence. This mystery, known as the Hubble Bump, is causing serious debate among scientists and may change the foundations of cosmology.

New JWST data collected over two years indicate a discrepancy in the measurements of the Universe’s expansion rate (the Hubble constant). Instead of eliminating the tension, the study, published on December 9 in The Astrophysical Journal, further confirmed its existence.

Scientists use two main methods to measure the Hubble constant. The first is based on the analysis of the cosmic microwave background, the remnant of light from the Big Bang, which gives a value of about 67 km/s/Mpc. The second method involves measuring the pulsation of Cepheid stars and supernovae, which indicate a value of about 73 km/s/Mpc. This difference in values cannot be explained by normal errors.

The latest JWST observations have reduced the error in Cepheid measurements to 2% (compared to 8−9% in previous Hubble data), confirming the value of the expansion velocity of 72.6 km/s/Mpc.

Astronomers speculate that these discrepancies may be caused by unknown phenomena such as «early dark energy,» exotic particles, or magnetic fields. «It could be something we don’t yet understand about the early Universe,» said Mark Kamionkowski, a cosmologist at Johns Hopkins University.

«The JWST survey is another step toward solving this fundamental mystery of the Universe, paving the way for new theories and discoveries.