Shock Wave generated by Supernova SNR 0509-67.5 Image credit: NASA Hubble Space Telescope
Welcome to the home of the "Not so" Flat Universe Society
Official Website of the Flat Universe Society
The Website has been changed:
On the balance of probability does the evidence still lean clearly in favour of a flat universe. We have been reviewing what we feel is mounting and equally sound evidence that indicates the universe may not be flat. We are therefore providing, In addition to a link to our own home page, a link to the Curved Universe page:
Go to Curved Universe Model
Our Flat Universe
What do we mean by Flat? The term can be somewhat misleading. It is not as though the universe is paper thin or even has a thickness to it. So how can it be possibly be flat? In principle, it requires determining whether a triangle's angles add up to exactly 180°… or not. However, in practice, it comes down to determining what the precise value of the density parameter is.
The flatness has traditionally been linked to the density parameter Ω0, pronounced 'omega not', which is the parameter we employ to denote the amount of 'matter' the universe contains. Specifically, it addresses the issue of whether there is enough matter in the universe to slow down its expansion as a consequence of the gravitational force exerted by such matter. The thinking goes that if there is not enough matter, Ω0 would be less than one and the universe would keep expanding forever. if there is more than enough then Ω0 would be greater than one and the universe would slow down and eventually collapse back in on itself. In the event that Ω0 exactly equals one, the universe would slow down but only 'stop' expanding at an infinite time in the future. The flatness refers to one of the 3 paper-thin models we use to describe these 3 scenarios. The cartoons used to depict each scenario can be found in most introductory astronomy books and can be viewed on the "Curved Universe" page of this website. But they do not tell the whole story. Not even close…..
A bombshell was dropped into the astro-physical world in 1998. Through studies of type 1A supernova, it was determined that the universe's expansion was not slowing down but rather expanding at an ever-increasing rate. The discovery blindsided virtually everyone in the astrophysical community. Some argue that it should have triggered a back to the proverbial drawing board moment taking a fresh look at either our understanding of gravity or our model of the universe. Perhaps both. Instead, we ended up creating what amounts to a fictitious force called dark energy and essentially continued on with business as usual.
Since the 1998 shockwave, there have been a series of interesting reverberations in the form of additional anomalies that have surfaced. Although dismissed by some, these anomalies challenge the founding assumptions integral to the traditional model of our universe. This website challenges the status quo and the assumptions upon which the model for the flat universe is founded. Enjoy….
On the balance of probability does the evidence still lean clearly in favour of a flat universe. We have been reviewing what we feel is mounting and equally sound evidence that indicates the universe may not be flat. We are therefore providing, In addition to a link to our own home page, a link to the Curved Universe page:
Go to Curved Universe Model
Our Flat Universe
What do we mean by Flat? The term can be somewhat misleading. It is not as though the universe is paper thin or even has a thickness to it. So how can it be possibly be flat? In principle, it requires determining whether a triangle's angles add up to exactly 180°… or not. However, in practice, it comes down to determining what the precise value of the density parameter is.
The flatness has traditionally been linked to the density parameter Ω0, pronounced 'omega not', which is the parameter we employ to denote the amount of 'matter' the universe contains. Specifically, it addresses the issue of whether there is enough matter in the universe to slow down its expansion as a consequence of the gravitational force exerted by such matter. The thinking goes that if there is not enough matter, Ω0 would be less than one and the universe would keep expanding forever. if there is more than enough then Ω0 would be greater than one and the universe would slow down and eventually collapse back in on itself. In the event that Ω0 exactly equals one, the universe would slow down but only 'stop' expanding at an infinite time in the future. The flatness refers to one of the 3 paper-thin models we use to describe these 3 scenarios. The cartoons used to depict each scenario can be found in most introductory astronomy books and can be viewed on the "Curved Universe" page of this website. But they do not tell the whole story. Not even close…..
A bombshell was dropped into the astro-physical world in 1998. Through studies of type 1A supernova, it was determined that the universe's expansion was not slowing down but rather expanding at an ever-increasing rate. The discovery blindsided virtually everyone in the astrophysical community. Some argue that it should have triggered a back to the proverbial drawing board moment taking a fresh look at either our understanding of gravity or our model of the universe. Perhaps both. Instead, we ended up creating what amounts to a fictitious force called dark energy and essentially continued on with business as usual.
Since the 1998 shockwave, there have been a series of interesting reverberations in the form of additional anomalies that have surfaced. Although dismissed by some, these anomalies challenge the founding assumptions integral to the traditional model of our universe. This website challenges the status quo and the assumptions upon which the model for the flat universe is founded. Enjoy….
The Assumptions:
There is mounting evidence indicating the universe may not be flat. According to the European Space Agency, the pillars of the Cosmological Principle, the assumptions upon which the flat universe model is based, seem to showing some signs of cracking. The current flat model relies on the Cosmological Principle, which assumes that the universe is homogeneous and isotropic. If either of these assumptions is undermined, a new model for the 'structure' of the universe would have to be established. The question is, are these assumptions truly still on firm ground? More
The Anomalies
There are a number of anomalies that potentially threaten to undermine the Cosmological Principle. Anomalies include, hemispheric differences in the degree of density variation, hemispheric differences in average temperature, two large-scale quasar clusters, asymmetrical expansion of type 1A supernova, discrepancy in the Hubble constant and a blip in the distribution of temperature/density fluctuations at large angular scales. But are there arguments that can explain away these 'anomalies'? More
The Alternative
Is it possible that the universe could have an overall structure and, if so, are there any credible alternatives? One new model that proposes the idea of a big bang shock wave propagating in a positively curved universe appears to warrant consideration. In this website's Curved Universe page, the merits of a theory first published in 2011 are explored. More
