The solar system may be moving 3.7 times faster than thought: what is known
24 November 2025 21:21
An international team of scientists has said that the solar system can move through space much faster than current models predict.
This is reported by Science Alert with reference to a study published in Physical Review Letters, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
New results that contradict cosmological models
The researchers note that according to new data, the speed of the Solar System relative to the large-scale structure of the Universe may be more than three times higher than the calculations of the standard cosmological model.
According to classical estimates, the Solar System
- rotates around the center of the Milky Way at a speed of approximately 792,000 km/h,
- completes one galactic rotation in 225 million years,
- moves with the galaxy at a speed of more than 2.1 million km/h.
However, a new study has revealed a motion that far exceeds expectations.
“Our analysis shows that the solar system is moving more than three times faster than current models predict,” said astrophysicist Lucas Beme of the University of Bielefeld.
In his opinion, this contradicts conventional wisdom and may require a revision of basic assumptions about the structure of the universe.
How the study was conducted
Scientists analyzed the distribution of distant radio galaxies, objects that emit powerful radio waves. Radio signals can pass through dust and gas that are inaccessible to optical telescopes, making such galaxies important “beacons” in the study of cosmic scales.
Based on data from three large radio telescopes, including a deep survey conducted by the LOFAR network, the team obtained the most accurate map of the distribution of radio galaxies to date.
Comparison of these data revealed the so-called “dipole shift” – an effect when more radio galaxies are detected in the direction of the Solar System’s motion than behind it.
The calculation revealed that the dipole is 3.7 times stronger than predicted by the standard model.
What this means for cosmology
The generally accepted standard model of the Universe is based on the cosmological principle that matter is distributed evenly and homogeneously on large scales.
The new results could mean that
- either the Solar System is moving much faster than we thought,
- or the distribution of matter in the Universe is not really so uniform.
“If our solar system is really moving that fast, we need to question fundamental assumptions about the large-scale structure of the universe,” said study co-author Dominic J. Schwartz.
At the same time, the scientists emphasize that the work is ongoing: the data and statistical models need to be further verified.
