Expansion Rate: The Hubble Tension

When the Hubble Space Telescope launched, one of its main goals was to measure the rate at which our universe is expanding.

That rate is called the “Hubble Constant” – named after the astronomer Edwin Hubble, who contributed to the discovery of the universe’s expansion. However, the expected value of the expansion rate is different depending on what equipment is being used to determine it.

In this video, Nobel Laureate Dr. Adam Riess explains this phenomenon known as “Hubble Tension,” and how important this mystery is to our understanding of the universe.

For more information, visit https://nasa.gov/hubble.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Producer & Director: James Leigh

Editor: Lucy Lund

Director of Photography: James Ball

Additional Editing & Photography: Matthew Duncan

Executive Producers: James Leigh & Matthew Duncan

Production & Post: Origin Films

Video Credit:
Hubble Space Telescope Animation
Credit: M. Kornmesser (ESA/Hubble)

Dark Energy Expansion Graph
Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Dark Energy Expansion Animation
Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

Hubble Extreme Deep Field Fly Through
Credit: NASA, ESA, and F. Summers, L. Frattare, T. Davis, Z. Levay, and G. Bacon (Viz3D Team, STScI)

James Webb Space Telescope Animations
Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

Music Credit:
“Alpha and Omega” by Laurent Parisi [SACEM] via KTSA Publishing [SACEM] and Universal Production Music

“Cosmic Call” by Immersive Music (Via Shutterstock Music)