# Pantheon+ supernova reanalysis challenges dark energy interpretation of accelerating universe

_Saturday, June 27, 2026 at 12:24 AM EDT · science · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![Pantheon+ supernova reanalysis challenges dark energy interpretation of accelerating universe — Primary](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/2026/analysis-of-supernova.jpg)

A reanalysis of the Pantheon+ catalog of more than 1,700 Type Ia supernovae challenges the interpretation that cosmic expansion is accelerating due to dark energy. Research led by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai and Professor Subir Sarkar of the University of Oxford, published June 22, 2026, in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, applied a correction accounting for the age of stars that produce these explosions. Sarkar said there is increasing evidence that the brightness of Type Ia supernovae depends on the age of the stars they come from. If this effect is not accounted for, it can lead to the erroneous conclusion that the expansion rate is accelerating. After applying the correction, the data no longer support a picture of a uniformly accelerating universe and instead suggest that cosmic expansion is overall slowing down. The analysis found that any inferred acceleration is directed mainly along the direction of local motion indicated by the cosmic microwave background hotspot and dies away with distance. This rejects dark energy independently of the correction. A paper in the same journal issue co-authored by Professor Maria Vincenzi maintains that evidence points to the universe still accelerating. Both findings can be tested with data from the Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time.

## Sources

- [Phys.org](https://phys.org/news/2026-06-pantheon-analysis-supernovae-universe.html)

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