Cosmic dipole anomaly fails crucial test, study shows
A new study just found that the cosmic dipole anomaly doesn't pass a key physics test, suggesting our universe might be stranger than we thought.
Matter in space is distributed way more unevenly than current models predict—by almost three times.
What did the scientists actually find?
Earth's motion causes a tiny temperature shift in the cosmic microwave background (CMB), but when astronomers checked radio galaxies and quasars, their measurements were much bigger than expected.
For example, quasar surveys showed a dipole almost three times higher than predictions.
These results line up in direction but not in size with CMB data, and they're so consistent across different surveys that equipment errors are pretty much ruled out.
Why does this matter?
This shakes up some basic ideas about how the universe expands.
If these findings hold up, it could mean our universe isn't expanding evenly in all directions—a big deal for how we understand space itself.