The Concerning SH0ES Hubble Constant
Abstract
Concerns are raised regarding the SH0ES results, and the present H0 controversy. The SH0ES H0 73 km/s/Mpc has remained relatively unaltered across 18 years (2005-2023), despite marked shifts in maser and Cepheid distances to the keystone galaxy NGC4258 (M106), and changes in the slope, zeropoint, metallicity, and extinction terms tied to the Leavitt Law, and notwithstanding uncertain photometry for remote Cepheids spanning galaxies with highly inhomogeneous crowding and surface brightness profiles. Concerns raised regarding the SH0ES findings by fellow researchers are likewise highlighted. An independent blind assessment of the entire suite of raw HST Cepheid images is warranted, while being mindful of a priori constraints and confirmation bias that unwittingly impact conclusions.