Webb telescope reveals unexpected galaxy spin patterns,
sparking theories the universe may be inside a rotating black hole.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), launched in 2022,
continues to reshape how we view the cosmos. Designed to look deeper into space
and further back in time than any previous instrument, it has begun to uncover
celestial secrets that defy long-standing scientific models. Its advanced
imaging technology has spotted ancient galaxies forming just a few hundred
million years after the Big Bang—far earlier than scientists thought possible.
One such galaxy, named JADES-GS-z14-0, appears to have taken
shape only 250 million years after the universe began. The existence of
galaxies so early in cosmic history is already rewriting theories about how
galaxies evolve.
Even more puzzling, many of these early galaxies show
structured spiral patterns—forms that were believed to develop much later.
These findings are throwing a wrench into accepted timelines of galactic
development and have sparked debates among cosmologists worldwide.
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Example of the same galaxies imaged by DES (left) and by
JWST. JWST allows to analyse galaxies that DES or other Earth-based telescopes
cannot image with sufficient details to identify their direction of rotation.
(CREDIT: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society) |
The Great Galactic Spin Mystery
Beyond age and structure, JWST has revealed something even more unusual—how galaxies spin. A recent study led by Lior Shamir at Kansas State University uncovered a strange pattern in the rotation direction of galaxies.
Using data from JWST’s Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey(JADES), Shamir examined 263 galaxies and discovered that about two-thirds
rotated clockwise, while only one-third rotated counterclockwise.
In a universe assumed to be random and isotropic—meaning it
has no preferred direction—this finding is deeply unsettling. Normally,
scientists would expect roughly equal numbers of galaxies rotating in both
directions. Yet JWST’s high-resolution imaging made the imbalance unmistakable.
“The difference is so obvious that anyone looking at the image can see it,”
Shamir said. “There is no need for special skills or knowledge to see that the
numbers are different.”
These results mirror earlier hints from Earth-based
telescopes, but JWST's sharper view gives the finding much greater weight. The
implication? Something may be influencing the spin of galaxies on a massive
scale.
Two Theories, One Big Question
Shamir and other scientists are now faced with a tough
question: what could cause this unexpected imbalance? One idea is that the
entire universe may have been born spinning. This notion connects with a bold
theory known as black hole cosmology, which proposes that our universe could
exist inside a giant rotating black hole in another, parent universe. If this
were true, the axis of that parent black hole could have influenced the way our
universe’s galaxies now rotate.
This theory has gained traction thanks to researchers like
theoretical physicist Nikodem Poplawski at the University of New Haven. He
believes that black holes might not just be endpoints of stars, but could also
act as gateways to new universes.
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Spiral galaxies imaged by JWST that rotate in the same
direction relative to the Milky Way (red) and in the opposite direction
relative to the Milky Way (blue). (CREDIT: Monthly Notices of the Royal
Astronomical Society) |
According to Poplawski, matter inside a black hole may not
collapse into a single point, or singularity, as previously believed. Instead,
extreme forces could compress it into a super-dense state before it rebounds
and expands—an event similar to the Big Bang.
“In this model,” Poplawski explained, “every black hole
could give birth to a new universe.” That would make our universe one of
potentially countless others. And since black holes spin, the rotation of our
own parent black hole could explain the preferred galactic spin direction we're
now observing.
He added, “The discovery by the JWST that galaxies rotate in
a preferred direction would support the theory of black holes creating new
universes, and I would be extremely excited if these findings are confirmed.”
A Simpler Explanation?
Despite the allure of such groundbreaking ideas, not
everyone is ready to abandon conventional physics. Another explanation could be
far less exotic. The rotation of our own Milky Way galaxy and the way we
observe light may have influenced the JWST’s measurements.
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Example of galaxies imaged by JWST and the peaks of the
radial intensity plot transformations of each image. The lines formed by the
peaks allow to identify the direction of the curve of the arms, and
consequently the spin direction of the galaxy. (CREDIT: Monthly Notices of the
Royal Astronomical Society) |
The Doppler effect, which causes waves to shift in frequency
based on motion, might make galaxies spinning in a direction opposite to our
own movement appear brighter or more noticeable. This observational bias could
have skewed the data.
If that’s the case, scientists may need to revisit their
calculations. “If that is indeed the case, we will need to re-calibrate our
distance measurements for the deep universe,” Shamir explained. Such
recalibration could affect how scientists estimate galaxy ages, expansion
rates, and the structure of space itself.
This is especially important because current cosmological
models already face tensions. One key example is the ongoing disagreement over
the universe’s expansion rate, known as the Hubble tension.
Different measurement methods are producing results that
don’t align, hinting that some unknown variable may be at play. The possibility
that past observations were skewed by Earth's movement adds yet another layer
to this cosmic puzzle.
Could the Universe Be Inside a Black Hole?
Black hole cosmology, often called Schwarzschild cosmology,
goes further by suggesting that every black hole might be a gateway to a “baby
universe.” This concept, proposed decades ago by Raj Kumar Pathria and I. J.
Good, describes black holes as bridges—Einstein-Rosen bridges, or
wormholes—that connect one universe to another. Poplawski has expanded on this
theory, suggesting that our universe’s flatness, symmetry, and directional time
flow could all be explained by this birth-through-a-black-hole model.
He described how the twisting of matter, called torsion,
could prevent total collapse into a singularity. Instead, the matter reaches a
limit, bounces back, and begins to expand—forming a new universe inside the
black hole. This bounce would drive cosmic inflation, the rapid expansion that
helps explain why the universe looks so smooth and flat on a large scale.
“In this view,” Poplawski said, “our own universe could be
the interior of a black hole existing in another universe.” He believes that
the observed galactic spin pattern could be the inherited result of the parent
black hole’s rotation. If galaxies today seem to spin mostly in one direction,
perhaps it's because the entire cosmos started with that same spin.
A Shift in Cosmic Understanding
No matter which explanation proves correct—whether it's a
subtle bias in measurement or a universe born from a rotating black hole—one
thing is clear: the JWST is shaking the foundation of modern cosmology. Its
observations are pushing scientists to question the basic principles of how the
universe formed, evolved, and behaves.
These unexpected findings are more than just astronomical
trivia. They challenge the idea that the cosmos is symmetrical, random, and
fully explained by existing theories. As the JWST continues to send back data
from the farthest reaches of space, researchers may soon have to rebuild major
parts of the cosmological model.
For now, the strange spin of galaxies stands as a powerful
clue—one that could lead to a much deeper understanding of where everything
came from, and where it's going.
More about Einstein-Rosen bridges
Einstein-Rosen bridges, also known as wormholes, were first
proposed in 1935 by Albert Einstein and Nathan Rosen as a theoretical solution
to the equations of general relativity. They imagined a “bridge” connecting two
distant points in space-time through a tunnel-like structure, formed by
extending the concept of a black hole. In theory, such a bridge could allow for
shortcuts across vast distances in the universe or even link different
universes.
The original Einstein-Rosen bridge was based on the
mathematical structure of a Schwarzschild black hole. However, their model
turned out to be unstable—it would collapse too quickly for anything, even
light, to pass through. Later models, especially those introduced in the 1980s,
explored ways to stabilize wormholes using hypothetical forms of matter with
negative energy density, known as exotic matter.
Despite their appeal in science fiction, no observational
evidence has ever confirmed the existence of wormholes. Their stability,
traversability, and physical plausibility remain purely theoretical. Still,
they provide a useful framework for exploring the limits of general relativity,
quantum gravity, and the possibility of time travel or faster-than-light
communication.
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Einstein-Rosen bridges connect two distant points in
space-time through a tunnel-like structure, formed by extending the concept of
a black hole. (CREDIT: CC BY-SA 4.0) |
Modern physicists continue to study wormholes using advances
in quantum field theory and string theory. Some recent proposals suggest that
wormholes might be related to quantum entanglement, as in the ER=EPR
conjecture, which links Einstein-Rosen bridges to entangled particles. While
the idea is still speculative, it hints at deeper connections between
space-time geometry and quantum mechanics.