Posted on 02/03/2009 8:26:34 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
Temperature fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background, among other data, are helping researchers better understand the accelerating expansion of the universe. Image credit: NASA.
Almost a decade ago, theorists proposed a void model as an alternative to the repulsive force of dark energy, an unknown force that is not well understood. According to the void model, much of the visible universe lies in a giant void that contains very little matter compared to the matter density outside the void, which is difficult to observe. The voids low density means the gravitational braking force is weak in the void. This creates the illusion that the visible universe is expanding faster than it used to; however, the actual change is not a change over time, but over space.
Scientific data aside, void models have an important philosophical implication: that the Earth occupies a special place at the center of the visible universe. This contradicts the Copernican principle, which says that we should not be at a special place, and has been extended to state that the universe is homogenous. The Copernican principle has served as a pillar for modern astronomy, and if it werent true, then astronomers could not rely on local measurements to learn about universal properties.
(Excerpt) Read more at physorg.com ...
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Clearly we have witnessed both models in the past few years. The "unconstrained" model dominating for the next 4-to-8 years.
An interesting idea proposed as a solution to this is that time itself is slowing down. Light (from matter) from billions of years ago would appear to be accelerating faster than possible. Considering that physicists don’t even know what time is, it’s either all relative or nonexistent in the quantum world, this idea makes the most current sense IMO.
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