Universe Rapid Expansion Contradicting Prior Studies, Physics?

The universe is expanding rapidly based on the precise measurement obtained by astronomers. However, it  is not in agreement with the predictions of other data as well as the existing understanding of the physics of the universe.

The discrepancy in the universe expanding is 9 percent faster compared to what is expected, which means that either the cosmic microwave background radiation measurements are not accurate or some unidentified physical phenomenon is making the space expansion faster. According to astronomer Alex Filippenko of UC Berkeley, this points to a conclusion that something is not right with the prediction based on the cosmic radiation measurements, which is the remaining glow from the Big Bang, if the newly-obtained numbers proven as true.

This may due to the existence of other unknown particle or a dark energy's influence has grown over the 13.8 billion years of the history of the universe. Aside from this, the astronomers also considered the general theory of relativity of Einstein, which is the basis for the Standard Model, as partially wrong. As explained by study leader Adam Riess of John Hopkins University and Space Telescope Science Institute, the unexpected finding could play an important role in understanding the strange areas of the universe that compose the 95 percent of everything and do not release light like the dark matter, dark energy and dark radiation. Using the data obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope and the Keck I telescope in Hawai, the findings will be published in the next issue of Astrophysical Journal, Astronomy reported.

Besides the growth in the strength of which  dark energy pushes the universe apart as well as the existence of the new underlying subatomic particle, which is almost speed-of-light particle named "dark radiation," one possible reason is that dark matter has some unusual characteristic. According to the study, it is the framework of the universe of which galaxies formed themselves into the huge-scale structures seen nowadays.  

The observations about the universe expanding were made through Hubble's Wide Field Camerand and done by the Supernova H0 for the Equation of State team to improve the Hubble accuracy consistent to a precision that enables a better understanding of the behavior of the universe, according to The Guardian.