Shamir proposes two main explanations for this unexpected pattern:
A Rotating Universe: The universe itself might have been born rotating, which could explain the observed asymmetry.
Observational Bias: Earth’s motion around the Milky Way’s center might create a Doppler shift effect, making galaxies rotating in the opposite direction appear brighter and more detectable, potentially creating an observational bias.
Thanks! The article never mentions the direction of the MW’s spin, so the bias section reads pretty roughly. If the reader knows that going in then it makes perfect sense:
MW spins counter-clockwise
Most observed galaxies spin clockwise
Doppler effect would make galaxies spinning the opposite direction of Milky Way appear slightly brighter to us,
which suggests observation bias as a possible explanation. I only got 2/3.
A strategic “also” in “This could explain why such galaxies seem more common in telescope observations.” would have helped as well.
Possible Explanations:
Shamir proposes two main explanations for this unexpected pattern:
Thanks! The article never mentions the direction of the MW’s spin, so the bias section reads pretty roughly. If the reader knows that going in then it makes perfect sense:
MW spins counter-clockwise
Most observed galaxies spin clockwise
Doppler effect would make galaxies spinning the opposite direction of Milky Way appear slightly brighter to us,
which suggests observation bias as a possible explanation. I only got 2/3.
A strategic “also” in “This could explain why such galaxies seem more common in telescope observations.” would have helped as well.