I like that, an appreciation of cosmology and physics is a great way to lense things in proper prospective. Respectfully though -- that humerus conclusion was drawn a little too early, when a spherical, or closed shape was a serious contender for the shape of our universe. Being 3: Closed, Open, Flat.Quote:
Originally Posted by Phrank
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the shape of space is, by a significant amount of evidence: Flat. Not Spherical or hyperbolic. Implosion is what would be expected by a spherical universe, in what is called the big crush- The big bang, rapid expansion and as expansion reaches the outer valence, it decelerates and then in capitulation crushes back on itself to repeat the process.
Notably: Hubble, (reformed lawyer turned astronomer, proof that there is hope for the human race ;) ) Discovered that planetary bodies were moving further away from each other and in all directions. And that a planetary body twice as far away as another in relation to a single point of observation (let's use earth for this example)-- would move twice as far away as the point that was only half that distance, in the same observational time frame
so: 1___2______3
would be 1_____2__________3
This is indicative of flat space we are expanding in all directions, with a central shared point of origin (big bang), when velocity of recession is proportional to distance- showing objects twice as far away, are moving proportionally twice as fast away.
http://www.pnas.org/content/15/3/168.full.pdf
2. The WMAP or Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy probe: Launched in 2001 and in operation until 2009. It's purpose was to measure multiple things, but most relevantly here:
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The distribution of matter amongst dark matter and background radiation left over from the big bang: The distribution fits with hubble's constant correctly calculated from v = H0D. Translation of the distribution: it's not clumped as you would expect to see if space was closed, nor pooled if it was hyperbolic. Rather it is evenly distributed and at level that points to a euclidean flat plane geometry.
[0803.0732] Five-Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Observations: Data Processing, Sky Maps, and Basic Results
3. The work of Paul Perlmutter, Adam Reiss and Brian Schmidt (and many others) which was awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in physics, for their findings from studying Type 1a Supernovae that objects further away appeared to be moving faster in which demonstrated that not only was our universe expanding, but it's expansion rate was accelerating. Only in Flat euclidean space would these co occur. More in a paper of theirs "Observational Evidence from Supernovae for an Accelerating Universe and a Cosmological Constant" [astro-ph/9805201] Observational Evidence from Supernovae for an Accelerating Universe and a Cosmological Constant
Not trying to take away anyone's fun or grandstand superior. Quite the opposite. This is what I am and most passionate about, I get excited when others show an understanding and appreciation for the same things and I want to elevate us all and be elevated, to have us be at our highest potential and greatest possible position on the Kardashev scale of scientifically advanced civilizations.
A proposed rewrite: With entropy, no matter what you do, all the worlds, galaxies and stars will one day, burn up and die and eventually there will be no stars left in the sky.
