(Newser)
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The 'Big Wave,' a new explanation for the universe's mysterious accelerating expansion, is sending ripples through the world of astronomy. According to the theory, the Big Bang set off a wave, or waves, that rippled outward through space-time, making distant galaxies appear to expand away from us. Mathematicians came up with the Big Wave as an alternative to the Dark Energy theory, Space.com reports.
Dark Energy, which uses a hypothetical form of energy to explain the baffling late-'90s discovery of the universe's accelerating expansion, has never sat well with many scientists, who see it as a "fudge factor." One possible snag to the Big Wave alternative: it may require that our own Milky Way be located near the center of the universe.
