More than a century ago, German physicist Karl Schwarzschild used mathematical equations to describe what is now known as a black hole. Over time, some scientists have explored an even more intriguing idea: that our universe rotates inside a black hole, a concept that continues to fuel debate.
In the early 1970s, scientists Raj Kumar Pathria and I.J. Good expanded on Schwarzschild’s work. They proposed a bold idea: the edge of a black hole, known as the event horizon, could also be the universe’s boundary.
This concept, though controversial then, suggested that the universe might exist inside a black hole, which resides in an even larger universe.
Decades later, new research using James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) data suggests that Pathria and Good’s theory may hold weight.
A recent study analyzed 263 galaxies captured by the JWST’s Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES), an initiative focused on studying some of the oldest and most distant galaxies ever observed.
The findings challenge the widely accepted assumption that the universe is isotropic – meaning it appears uniform and identical in all directions.
Are we inside a black hole?!
Scientists have discovered a pronounced asymmetry in the rotation of 263 distant galaxies as part of the JADES program. Using the Webb telescope, it was discovered that 2/3 of the galaxies rotate clockwise, and 1/3 – counterclockwise. In a universe… pic.twitter.com/NW8fbdRU86
— Black Hole (@konstructivizm) March 15, 2025
If the universe were truly isotropic, galaxies should be evenly distributed in their rotational directions, roughly half spinning clockwise and half counterclockwise.
However, the study found a significant imbalance: nearly two-thirds of the galaxies in the survey rotated clockwise, while only about one-third rotated counterclockwise.
“The analysis of the galaxies was done by quantitative analysis of their shapes, but the difference is so obvious that any person looking at the image can see it,” said Lior Shamir, a professor at Kansas State University and one of the study’s authors. “There is no need for special skills or knowledge to see that the numbers are different.”
An unexpected finding suggests that the universe may have a preferred spin direction, contradicting long-standing cosmological models. Researchers propose one possible explanation: the universe has rotated since its formation.
“One explanation is that the universe was born rotating. That explanation agrees with theories such as black hole cosmology, which postulates that the entire universe is the interior of a black hole. But if the universe was indeed born rotating, it means that the existing theories about the cosmos are incomplete,” Shamir said.
Is our universe trapped inside a black hole?
Lior Shamir, a scientist at Kansas State University, examined images from the James Webb Space Telescope Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES), he saw something quite unexpected. The majority of the 263 galaxies he observed… pic.twitter.com/V9BY6qugqC
— Astro Joel (@JoelWard2000) March 16, 2025
The idea that the universe has a fundamental spin would have profound implications for physics. It could suggest that galaxies inherited their rotation from the universe, much like planets and stars inherit their motion from the systems they form.
Researchers acknowledge that another factor may be influencing these observations. The Doppler shift, a phenomenon that affects how light is perceived when an object moves closer or farther away, could play a role.
As Earth orbits the center of the Milky Way, it moves in a specific direction. If a galaxy rotates opposite this motion, its light appears slightly compressed, making it brighter and easier to detect.
The observed effect may explain why more galaxies with a certain spin direction are recorded. This could indicate that the current distance measurements for deep-space objects need recalibration.
“If that is indeed the case, we will need to re-calibrate our distance measurements for the deep universe. The re-calibration of distance measurements can also explain several other unsolved questions in cosmology,” Shamir said. The study was published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
