Cosmic Variance

Cosmic variance refers to the inherent differences in the observations we can make about the universe due to the limited size of our observable universe. Since we can only see a portion of the universe, our measurements and observations—like the distribution of galaxies or cosmic background radiation—might not represent the entire universe accurately. Essentially, some statistical variations can arise simply because we’re only looking at a small part of an immense and possibly very different whole. This limitation affects our understanding of cosmic phenomena and raises questions about the nature of the universe beyond what we can observe.