Has JWST shown the Universe is TWICE as old as we think?!
799,425
Published 2023-07-27
#astronomy #JWST #cosmology
My previous YouTube video on how JWST’s massive galaxies are no longer “impossible” - • JWST's "too massive" galaxy problem s...
Gupta et al. (2023; is the universe 26.7 billion years old?) - academic.oup.com/mnras/advance-article/doi/10.1093…
Labbé et al. (2023; over-massive galaxies spotted in JWST data) - arxiv.org/pdf/2207.12446.pdf
Arrabal Haro et al. (2023; z~16 candidate galaxy turns out to be z=4.9) - arxiv.org/pdf/2303.15431.pdf
Zwicky (1929; "tired light" hypothesis raised for first time) - www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10.1073/pnas.15.10.773
JWST observing schedules (with public access!): www.stsci.edu/jwst/science-execution/observing-sch…
JWST data archive: mast.stsci.edu/portal/Mashup/Clients/Mast/Portal.h…
Twitter bot for JWST current observations: twitter.com/JWSTObservation
The successful proposals in Cycle 2 (click on the proposal number and then "public PDF" to see details): www.stsci.edu/jwst/science-execution/approved-prog…
00:00 - Introduction: JWST's massive galaxy problem
01:48 - Our current best model of the Universe: λ-CDM
03:16 - The problems with λ-CDM and the "Crisis in Cosmology"
04:28 - Getting distance from redshift
05:13 - A new model of the Universe: a HYBRID of "tired light" and expansion of the Universe
06:25 - The history of "tired light" and why it was eventually dismissed (Tolman Surface Brightness Test)
08:18 - What Gupta (2023) have found
09:30 - The change to the calibration of redshift and distance (and the new age of the Universe)
10:02 - What other problems does this new model help solve?
11:07 - The observational evidence that this new model ignores...
12:39 - How else do we explain JWST's massive galaxy problem? Universal IMF issues
14:35 - Outro: the legacy of JWST
15:23 - Brilliant
16:46 - Bloopers
Video filmed on a Sony ⍺7 IV
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👩🏽💻 I'm Dr. Becky Smethurst, an astrophysicist at the University of Oxford (Christ Church). I love making videos about science with an unnatural level of enthusiasm. I like to focus on how we know things, not just what we know. And especially, the things we still don't know. If you've ever wondered about something in space and couldn't find an answer online - you can ask me! My day job is to do research into how supermassive black holes can affect the galaxies that they live in. In particular, I look at whether the energy output from the disk of material orbiting around a growing supermassive black hole can stop a galaxy from forming stars.
drbecky.uk.com/
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All Comments (21)
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Maybe, it just feels twice as old. I can relate to that.
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Love that I can come here for actual science and data instead of sensationalized pop-sci garbage. Even PBS Spacetime is giving you shout outs! Never change Dr Becky!
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I love the fact that JWST is challenging our understandings of the universe, it is exactly what any great experiment is supposed to achieve.
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I appreciate people exploring all our options, if nothing else. I think these types of papers are extremely useful, so really glad they are getting made, whether right or not.
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The great thing about research like this is that in attempting to refute it, someone could potentially be inspired to come up with a solution to one of those problems, or even a better model than lambda CDM. And thats really exciting!
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For historical interest, in 1980, when I took my first astronomy class, the universe was 20 billion years old.
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Scientific community repeat after me; "We dont really know"
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Amazing as usual! I love the depth of the explanations and how you go through so many of the concepts to shed light on the information. Many articles I partially read in the past gave a dim idea of what's happening in the field and I now feel like I can get a much better idea how influential an article or paper is on the whole of astrophysics and cosmology.
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I like that you add a little portrait of individual authors on the papers that you show. I know its not a big thing necessarily, but putting a face to the name kinda grounds it in my mind. I know these are real people, but seeing a face makes it feel more real... if that makes any sense. Also I imagine the authors like it as well. Adding a bit of humanity to the cold science.
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What is amazing about living in this time compared to Hubble's discoveries in the 1920s-1930s is that we have science communicators like you who can and do reach others who would otherwise be unable to access/understand the new knowledge. Thank you for being generous just for the sake of letting us understand.
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It is absolutely insane to me that the idea that redshift could be due to both expansion of the universe AND tired light wasn't seriously considered before now. That's hardly a wildly outside-the-box idea. There has to be more to it than this.
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Just ordered my copy of your Hardback Book on Amazon. Can't wait to read it!!! Please keep up the great video's!!
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The subject paper does not claim to be "the answer", but rather it is an interesting and useful "what if we try this, and this, and this" exercise. Science and scientists often become too confident in what they think they know. It's good when new data throws us a curve ball and causes us to question the unquestionable. Critical thinking and analyzing the effects of different "what if" theories is useful and should always be encouraged.
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I’ve believed the universe to be 13.8 billion years old all my life. I’m now 64, and this really blows my mind and I’m not sure I can cope. I also really miss Pluto as a planet. Shakes me to the core.
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Great analysis, thanks! Like you said, this is such a cool time to be watching these discoveries - there are so many ideas to explore. I love your balance of healthy skepticism and openness to new possibilities. This one does seem like a long shot, but an interesting way to at least try to explain the discrepancies.
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I really enjoy your explanations and comparisons involving cosmological hypotheses. I took two years of physics in college, and have done reading in astronomy, etc. ever since. My math stopped at analytic geometry, but I still appreciate your discussions. Keep educating us!!!
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Only 100 years ago we were still arguing about whether there was more than one galaxy. I think we've been too presumptious in thinking we have everything figured out bar the minor details for some time now.
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A great post that exemplifies the value of skepticism and accounting for uncertainty. The best part is how JWST stimulates thought. Dr. Becky has cemented her role as my goto inspiration for astrophysical reasoning.
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In my journal club I often ask my group members to look at your videos. MOND paper review was one of thoese. Thank you so much.
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While most if it I don't understand, I love the in depth explanations and all while having a cuppa tea. 😊
