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Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

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Why Do Most Galaxies Spin Clockwise?

Have you ever watched a galaxy spin? Imagine billions of stars, planets, dust, and gas twirling together like a cosmic whirlpool. Now, imagine discovering that most of these galactic spirals prefer spinning in one direction—clockwise. Sounds strange, right?

This is exactly what a recent study has revealed. Out of 263 spiral galaxies observed through the powerful James Webb Space Telescope, nearly two-thirds spin clockwise, while only one-third rotate the other way. This surprising discovery could help explain some of the biggest mysteries in astrophysics, including the puzzling Hubble tension and the age of massive galaxies.

Let’s explore what this study is about, how the research was done, and why it could change our understanding of the universe.

What Was the Study About?

The study was led by Dr. Lior Shamir, an associate professor at Kansas State University. He analyzed images from the JADES survey—short for James Webb Space Telescope Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey.

This deep-space survey captured detailed infrared images of galaxies that are billions of light-years away. Using these images, Shamir looked at 263 spiral galaxies and studied the direction of their rotation.

Here’s the surprising part:

  • Clockwise galaxies (as seen from Earth): 2/3 of the sample

  • Counterclockwise galaxies: 1/3 of the sample

The results are visually obvious too. In an image from the study, blue circles represent galaxies spinning clockwise, and red circles show those spinning counterclockwise. The blue ones clearly dominate.

Why Is This Discovery So Shocking?

According to our current understanding of the universe, there should be no preferred direction in the way galaxies spin. If the universe is symmetric on a large scale—as scientists have long believed—then we should see roughly equal numbers of galaxies spinning in both directions.

But this study shows otherwise.

If galaxies were randomly distributed, the numbers of clockwise and counterclockwise rotations would be the same. That’s why this result is so unexpected and important.

How Was the Study Done?

Shamir’s analysis wasn’t just based on visual inspection. He used a quantitative analysis of galaxy shapes to determine their spin direction. But interestingly, he points out that even a casual observer can notice the imbalance just by looking at the image.

You don’t need to be an astrophysicist to see it—the difference is clear to the naked eye.

And thanks to the incredible power of the Webb telescope, the images are detailed enough for anyone to spot the pattern.

Why Might This Be Happening? Possible Explanations

There are two main hypotheses that could explain why more galaxies seem to spin clockwise:

1. A Rotating Universe?

One bold theory is that the universe itself was born spinning.

This idea is connected to a concept called black hole cosmology. According to this theory, the entire universe might be the interior of a giant black hole. And if that black hole was spinning when the universe was born, it could have created a kind of cosmic swirl that caused galaxies to rotate in a preferred direction.

If this theory is true, it would challenge everything we currently believe about how the universe formed and evolved. It suggests that our cosmological models may be incomplete.

2. A Trick of Light and Motion

Another explanation involves the Earth's movement.

Right now, our planet—along with the entire solar system—is spinning around the center of the Milky Way galaxy at about 220 kilometers per second. That’s incredibly fast.

Because of this motion, galaxies spinning in the opposite direction to Earth’s movement (and appearing clockwise to us) could look brighter due to a phenomenon called the relativistic Doppler effect. This effect changes the brightness of light depending on the motion of the source and the observer.

In simple terms, galaxies spinning "towards us" appear brighter, making them easier to spot in the images. On the other hand, galaxies spinning in the same direction as Earth appear dimmer, so we might miss some of them.

This effect, once thought to be too small to matter, could be altering our observations.

What Are the Bigger Implications?

If this brightness effect is real, it could mean that our distance measurements to galaxies are not accurate. That would be a huge deal.

Right now, scientists use the brightness of galaxies and supernovae to estimate how far away they are. If those brightness levels are affected by rotation direction and Earth’s motion, our cosmic distance ladder might need a major update.

This could help explain:

  • The Hubble tension, which refers to the disagreement between different measurements of the universe’s expansion rate.

  • The existence of galaxies that seem older than the universe, based on current measurements.

Shamir explains that if we recalibrate our methods, many of these mysteries might be resolved.

What Is the Hubble Tension?

The Hubble constant is a number that tells us how fast the universe is expanding. But here's the problem:

  • One method (using nearby galaxies) gives one value.

  • Another method (using cosmic microwave background radiation) gives a different value.

This disagreement is called the Hubble tension.

If the brightness of galaxies is affected by their rotation direction, and we didn’t account for it before, that could be a hidden factor causing this tension.

This study might lead to a new way of measuring cosmic distances, which could bring both values of the Hubble constant closer together.

What’s Next in This Research?

Shamir’s findings are just the beginning. More studies are needed to confirm:

  • Whether this spin direction bias exists in other regions of the sky.

  • If the same pattern shows up in galaxies observed by other telescopes.

  • How strong the Doppler brightness effect really is.

Future observations by Webb, Hubble, and other space missions could help us understand this mystery better.

A Challenge to the Cosmological Principle

For over a century, scientists have believed in something called the cosmological principle—the idea that the universe is uniform and looks the same in every direction.

But if galaxies prefer to spin one way, this goes against that principle. It hints that the universe might have a hidden structure or direction, something we’ve never seen before.

A Cosmic Puzzle Waiting to Be Solved

This discovery is a reminder that the universe still holds many surprises.

From ancient galaxies to black hole mysteries, we are constantly learning new things that challenge our understanding. Thanks to powerful tools like the James Webb Space Telescope, we are seeing the universe in more detail than ever before.

As scientists continue to study these strange spiral patterns, one thing is certain—we are only just beginning to uncover the true nature of the cosmos.

Conclusion: A New Spin on the Universe

The discovery that more galaxies spin clockwise than counterclockwise might seem like a small detail. But in the vast and complex universe, even tiny clues can lead to revolutionary ideas.

Whether it’s due to a spinning birth of the universe or a hidden trick of light, this finding opens up exciting possibilities in astrophysics and cosmology.

So the next time you look up at the night sky, remember: the galaxies out there might be spinning in ways that tell the story of the entire universe’s past.

And that story… might just be spinning clockwise.

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