In my eighth-quality science class, our trainer discussed to us the Doppler result: that objects relocating away from us would screen stretched-out audio or mild waves, whilst objects relocating toward us would demonstrate crunched-up audio or mild waves. The instructor cited as an example that astronomers could identify no matter if cosmological objects are relocating toward or away from Earth based on if their mild waves ended up stretched out (redshifted for for a longer period wavelengths) or ended up shorter wavelengths (blueshifted). This captured my creativity promptly, and I pictured an at any time increasing universe spreading out away from Earth evenly like the ripples shaped by dropping a stone in a pond. And in truth, measurements of the cosmic microwave qualifications radiation suggest that the universe spread evenly next the major bang. But now, as senior editor Lee Billings experiences in this issue’s cover tale, the expansion of the universe may possibly not be uniformly dispersed but may possibly be happening additional swiftly in certain locations (see “Do We Dwell in a Lopsided Universe?”). As with a great deal astronomical investigate, it occasionally will take a long time to see under the surface area of what we considered we comprehended.

Elsewhere in this problem, just one candidate source of dim issue is at hazard of getting ruled out (see “Milky Way Dim Make a difference Alerts in Question following Controversial New Papers”), and be absolutely sure to verify out some of the Hubble Place Telescope’s most well known visuals, these kinds of as the Eagle Nebula, the Lagoon Nebular, and other folks (see “A Birthday Message from the Hubble Telescope”). Dive in!