The Biggest Misconception in Physics

Energy is not conserved in our universe because the expansion of space breaks time symmetry. Photons and objects lose energy as space expands, and this energy doesn't go anywhere; it just disappears from our frame of reference.

• ⚛️ Emmy Noether proved that conservation laws arise from continuous symmetries; time symmetry leads to energy conservation.
• 🌌 The universe's expansion breaks time symmetry over large scales, meaning energy conservation doesn't strictly hold.
• 💡 Over short timescales, time symmetry is a good approximation, making energy appear conserved.
• 💥 A photon emitted early in the universe loses 99.9% of its energy by the time it reaches us due to expansion.
• ⚖️ Noether's second theorem shows local symmetries in general relativity lead to continuity equations, not strict conservation.

A series of blurry asteroids moving from left to right, with the largest and clearest asteroid in focus on the right, over a black background with stars. Text on the left reads 'Energy is NOT conserved'.