How Do We Know The Universe Is ACCELERATING?

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The universe is expanding – this we know from looking at red shifts of distant galaxies – but the acceleration of the universe's expansion is harder to measure. It requires measuring the change of recession velocity over time, and it's done by comparing Type Ia supernovas as standard candles at different distances, which is how we know the universe is accelerating!

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REFERENCES

Type Ia supernovae



Luminosity Distance


Hubble diagram for type Ia supernovas (relatively close to earth):


Straightforward references:
Ryan Foley talking about WFIRST & Dark Energy

Dark Energy FAQ:

Why does dark energy make the universe accelerate?

David Spergel on dark matter & WFIRST


Slightly-technical references:
Permlutter article (old article but quite well explained & goes into future directions near the end)


Technical references:
Mukhanov’s Physical Cosmology

Nobel Prize Summary

Cosmological redshift


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Created by Henry Reich

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