Bert, I cannot agree with you more. As for theory of relativity (that attempts to explain the Universe and everything), there have been many very intelligent men before Einstein and all their theories bit the dust, eventually. In each of those theories formulated in the past there are grains of truth on which some one else in future builds some new concepts. To assume that we understand how the Universe developed or what the Universe is, at in this time and age of our civilisation is ridiculous.
Besides, if the space is expanding, well I have not noticed that everything is moving away from me. Ahh, that’s because we are expanding with space as well. Well, if we do why everything is moving away from us.
So where does "space" end and "matter" begin?... Does the "space"in an atom expand proportionaly, subject to the local curvatur, as space out side our galaxy?
alex
I believe the theory states that space expands where it is not otherwise under any other force (ie gravity, electrical, magnetic etc) so the forces holding the electrons in their various orbital levels is the same force, holding the electrons at their same levels regardless of whether the atom is nearby or at the other end of the universe.
No. The expansion forces are very small - and can't even overcome gravity at the galaxy cluster level. Superclusters are not thought to be gravitationally bound - but thats a whole other story.
Thank you for all your many and varied (and off topic) replies.
Many of you say that light never wears out. Yet, light is always being made.
Does that mean 'Space' is getting lighter (brighter)?
If, as some of you believe, the Universe if finite, that means we will eventually be flooded by light.
Sorry, I can't go with all that.
If light was to last forever, it would have to travel on forever to 'not' brighten space. Hence an Infinite Universe, but that is another topic.
Even still, somewhere in the back of my mind is the nagging belief that light does eventually wear out (or redshift) (or alter in the radiowave spectrum).
'Dark' runs out when 'light' enters it, can 'light' run out when 'Dark' enters it?
Thank you for all your many and varied (and off topic) replies.
Many of you say that light never wears out. Yet, light is always being made.
Does that mean 'Space' is getting lighter (brighter)?
If, as some of you believe, the Universe if finite, that means we will eventually be flooded by light.
Sorry, I can't go with all that.
If light was to last forever, it would have to travel on forever to 'not' brighten space. Hence an Infinite Universe, but that is another topic.
Even still, somewhere in the back of my mind is the nagging belief that light does eventually wear out (or redshift) (or alter in the radiowave spectrum).
'Dark' runs out when 'light' enters it, can 'light' run out when 'Dark' enters it?
Hi Ken,
This might be a simple-minded response to be superseded by one from a more knowledgeable contributor, but "wearing out" is not the only option for light to cease being visible light. There is red shifting as has already been pointed out, but also absorption. Photons will run into things and be absorbed. So light not wearing out or running out would not necessarily imply that the universe will continue to get brighter.
So what would happen if we found the blackest spot in a Hubble Deep field and fitted a 5 Barlow to Hubble and ran a 300 day exposure of that blackest spot?
This might be a simple-minded response to be superseded by one from a more knowledgeable contributor, but "wearing out" is not the only option for light to cease being visible light. There is red shifting as has already been pointed out, but also absorption. Photons will run into things and be absorbed. So light not wearing out or running out would not necessarily imply that the universe will continue to get brighter.
That's not a correct assumption. Yes light is absorbed BUT it is re-radiated, perhaps in another wavelength (ie Light is absorbed by Dust but immediately re-radiated in IR). This is also part of Olbers Paradox (it was interesting working this out mathematically as part of my Cosmology final exam - thanks to info on the web - but it is simple math thankfully.
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