Astronomers have found evidence suggesting that our entire Milky Way galaxy is located within an enormous cosmic void. The discovery proposes a solution to the Hubble tension, one of the biggest mysteries in the universe.
The Hubble tension arises from two differing values calculated for the Hubble constant, which represents the expansion rate of today’s universe. Galaxies and stars in the local, more recent universe appear to be moving away faster than predicted, defying the standard cosmological model.
Indranil Banik, a cosmologist at the University of Portsmouth, believes that our galaxy is situated inside a bubble of relatively empty space. Gravity would pull nearby matter toward the higher density exterior of the void, causing objects to move away from us at an accelerated rate. This theory could explain the Hubble tension and its implications for the age of the universe.
However, the local void theory remains controversial due to its conflict with the standard model of cosmology. Banik’s most recent study used baryon acoustic oscillations (BAOs) to support the idea that we are living inside a cosmic void. The findings suggest that the local void model is about one hundred million times more likely than the standard cosmological model.
While the evidence is compelling, it is not definitive proof. Banik is also investigating supernovae data to verify whether the Hubble tension disappears beyond the local universe. If successful, this could be a breakthrough for the local void theory, but for now, the cosmic conundrum remains unresolved.
Source: https://gizmodo.com/new-research-bolsters-freaky-theory-that-earth-sits-in-a-giant-cosmic-void-2000625890