Solving the Crisis in Cosmology with Wendy Freedman
Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Matt Kirshen interview astronomer Wendy Freedman about measurements of the Hubble constant and the so‑called "crisis" in cosmology. Freedman explains the history of debates over the expansion rate of the universe, the current discrepancy between local distance-ladder measurements and values inferred from the cosmic microwave background, and why she does not yet consider it a true crisis. She describes her team's James Webb Space Telescope program using multiple stellar distance indicators, discusses systematic errors and the distinction between precision and accuracy, and answers audience questions on dark energy, the future evolution of the universe, and whether the universe is finite or infinite.