| Author |
 Topic  |
|
N_Quire
Micro Wave
USA
148 Posts |
 Posted - 02/25/2003 : 00:05:02
This may be a silly and simple question so forgive me for asking it. Yes, the answer is no doubt online somewhere or in a book but perhaps someone here with time to spare can point me in the right direction.We are told that the universe is 10, or so, billions of years old from big bang. We can gather this information by looking out at the stars/universe and gathering information from 10 or so billion light years away. If we assume that we can gain information from this distance all around us, are we right in infering that we are at the center of the universe? Why is it not 6 billion light years in some directions and, say, 14 in others. For it to be a uniform 10 or billion, we must be at the center of things. Why must we be at the center? So where am I going wrong in my reasoning? ================
Should I hit it
with a hammer?
Alert Mentor now
|
Hurkyl
Visible Light Wave
USA
723 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2003 : 01:13:48
The answer isn't as profound as you hope, methinks.We are at the center of the visible universe because, by definition, the visible universe is centered upon us.
Since the universe was so small at the beginning of the big bang, the light from that era had no trouble going all the way around the universe. The 10 billion year old light we see isn't from a source 10 billion light-years away; it's from the little tiny volume that the universe was in, and it has expanded sense. In reality, the 20 billion light-year diameter shell marknig the edge of our field of view is all the same little tiny region of space in which the big bang occured!
Hurkyl
Alert Mentor now
|
N_Quire
Micro Wave
USA
148 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2003 : 01:27:36
quote:
Originally posted by Hurkyl:
The answer isn't as profound as you hope, methinks.We are at the center of the visible universe because, by definition, the visible universe is centered upon us.
Since the universe was so small at the beginning of the big bang, the light from that era had no trouble going all the way around the universe. The 10 billion year old light we see isn't from a source 10 billion light-years away; it's from the little tiny volume that the universe was in, and it has expanded sense. In reality, the 20 billion light-year diameter shell marknig the edge of our field of view is all the same little tiny region of space in which the big bang occured!
Hurkyl
Thank you. On the contrary, the answer was as simple and as obvious as I hoped. That's good news. I hate not being able to figure stuff out and there's so much that I can't get my head around.
================
Should I hit it
with a hammer?
Alert Mentor now
|
v-naught
Radio Wave
USA
6 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2003 : 03:36:11
We are at the center now because we were at the center at the start of the big bang, along with everything else. As the universe expanded, everything moved away from everything else (definitely don't think of it as an expanding sphere). Every point in space is the center of the universe because of this, not just us.It can clearly be seen that *omit tedious derivation*...
Alert Mentor now
|
cragwolf
Micro Wave
Australia
133 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2003 : 03:58:11
I was just thinking about this. Am I right in saying that the universe cannot have a true centre without also having an edge? To me, edges are ridiculous.
Alert Mentor now
|
loop quantum gravity
Infrared Wave
Israel
389 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2003 : 07:07:21
quote:
Originally posted by cragwolf:
I was just thinking about this. Am I right in saying that the universe cannot have a true centre without also having an edge? To me, edges are ridiculous.
if im not mistaken stephen hawking has proposed that the universe has no boundary, therefore no edges (my conclusion).
Alert Mentor now
|
CJames
Visible Light Wave
USA
659 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2003 : 07:59:53
Yea, there's no edge to the universe. And if there were, it would be meaningless anyway because it would be moving away at the speed of light and impossible to catch. The two theories are that:1. If you continue in a straight line you will keep moving forever or
2. If you continue in a "straight" line you will eventually find yourself back where you started (although theories point toward the idea that the universe would end before this would happen.) "From the start to the end no matter what I pretend the journey is more important than the end or the start, and what it meant to me will eventually be a memory of the time that I tried so hard."--Mike Shinoda, Linkin Park
Alert Mentor now
|
LarryJames
Radio Wave
USA
9 Posts |
Posted - 03/07/2003 : 05:31:58
We are not in the center of the universe. This is explained in the book "The Theory of Gravity Propulsion" in section 7.12. The book explains the direction towards the center of the universe and gives amazing facts to support this. It even describes a method how we can calculate our distance from the center.You can get the free ebook at www.universalpower.org/tgpbook.htm.
Larry James
Alert Mentor now
|
Eh
Infrared Wave
Canada
475 Posts |
Posted - 03/07/2003 : 05:47:59
Since such a center does not exist at all, it is pointless to try and calculate how far away we are from it.
Alert Mentor now
|
