Another Look at the Hubble Constant
A new measurement of the expansion rate of the Universe could have far-reaching consequences to our understanding of the Cosmos.
The Hubble constant is one of the critical calculations which astronomers and astrophysicists use to determine the nature of the Universe. One of the great challenges faced by researchers today is determining the exact value of this number. Various means of measuring the Hubble Constant produce different results, suggesting different possible pasts, and futures, for our Universe and everything in it.
Simply put, the Hubble Constant is a measure of how quickly objects in the Universe are flying away from each other. Galaxies and stars located further away from us are receding at greater velocities than those closer to us. This does not mean we are in any special location, but these same conditions would be seen by observers near any star in any galaxy in the Universe.
Astronomers and other researchers use the Hubble constant to determine the age and size of the Universe, as well as determine the distances between distant bodies.
The Hubble constant is typically expressed in terms of kilometers per second per megaparsec (km/s/Mpc). The proposed speed has changed many times since the idea first became known in the opening decades of the 20th Century. Today, typically accepted figures…
