What does the term 'galaxies pushing apart' imply about the universe?

The term 'galaxies pushing apart' indicates that galaxies are moving away from each other, which is a fundamental observation in cosmology. This observation supports the concept of an expanding universe, originally derived from Hubble's law, which shows that the farther away a galaxy is, the faster it is receding from us. This phenomenon implies that not only is the universe expanding, but that the rate of this expansion is increasing over time, a concept that aligns with the discovery of dark energy.

The idea of an accelerating expansion means that the force driving galaxies apart is growing stronger, which contrasts with a universe that might be in a state of contraction or stability. Expanding universes can lead to different outcomes; an accelerating universe suggests that it will eventually reach a state where galaxies become exceedingly distant from one another, affecting the cosmic structure over billions of years. This dynamic nature of expanding galaxies is consistent with current astrophysical observations and theoretical models.