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Space

One of the biggest mysteries of cosmology may finally be solved

The expansion rate of the universe, measured by the Hubble constant, has been one of the most controversial numbers in cosmology for years, and we seem at last to be close to nailing it down

By Leah Crane

9 April 2024

The further galaxies are from Earth, the faster they are moving away from us

ESA/Hubble & NASA

A cosmic mystery that is one of the most significant open questions in physics may finally have been solved. The two main methods of measuring the universe’s rate of expansion have long been in disagreement with one another – but they seem to be coming together.

The rate of the universe’s expansion is measured by a parameter called the Hubble constant. For years, the two ways we have worked it out have been in tension, which led some cosmologists to believe that we didn’t…

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