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    If we can tell that the universe is spinning based on patterns in the rotations of distant galaxies, can we tell where the center of the spin is by examining distant galaxies on opposite sides of the visible universe?
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    If we can tell that the universe is spinning based on patterns in the rotations of distant galaxies, can we tell where the center of the spin is by examining distant galaxies on opposite sides of the visible universe?


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    The universe isn't supposed to have a "center", but if it's spinning, that would suggest that it does, unless "spinning" is just a simplification of some more complex concept that I don't understand.

    Context (I thought people would be aware of this, or I would have included it):

    https://www.space.com/space-exploration/james-webb-space-telescope/is-our-universe-trapped-inside-a-black-hole-this-james-webb-space-telescope-discovery-might-blow-your-mind

    The JWST has discovered that early galaxies are spinning in the same direction 66% of the time, and one possible explanation is that the universe has a preferred axis of spin.

    If we can tell that the universe is spinning based on patterns in the rotations of distant galaxies, can we tell where the center of the spin is by examining distant galaxies on opposite sides of the visible universe?
    byu/Incognit0ErgoSum inspace

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    6 Comments

    2. futuregravvy on

      It’s more complex. Technically we are at the center of the universe because we are bound by all side from the fundamental speed limit, light./

      But, you have to change your perspective. From our point of view, our reference frame, we see ourselves at the center but so will some sentient being in the Andromeda galaxy./

      Start thinking in terms of “frames of reference” and a lot of physics and universal concepts become clearer. Things like special relativity, world lines, and Penrose diagrams all rely on this type of thinking. If you want some videos, PBS Spacetime has whole Playlist on this if you want to know more!

    3. rabbi420 on

      Here’s the main issue with what you asked… there’s no evidence whatsoever that the universe, as a whole, is spinning. Local objects spin, but all the best evidence says that the universe does not.

      EDIT (to add specificity):

      Scientists have studied the Cosmic Microwave Background, or CMB—which is basically the leftover glow from the Big Bang—to look for signs that the universe might be spinning. If it were, we’d expect to see some kind of pattern or preferred direction in that ancient light. But missions like WMAP and Planck found that the CMB looks almost the same no matter which way you look. That’s a strong clue that the universe isn’t spinning overall.

    5. cjameshuff on

      It’s pretty easy to construct a scenario where everything in the universe on average, and thus the universe as a whole, has some net angular momentum. It wouldn’t necessarily be wrong to say the universe is rotating in some sense, but it doesn’t mean that everything in the universe is revolving around a central axis.

    6. Luke_Cocksucker on

      So the first thing I did was ask google, “Is the universe spinning?” and this is what it said, “No, there’s no evidence that the universe as a whole is spinning or rotating on an axis.”