The cosmological principle states the universe is homogeneous and isotropic when viewed on large enough scales. It is the ultimate extension of the Copernican Principle which asserts that the Earth is not in any special place in the universe. Mathematically this statement reduces to the Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker metric solution to the Einstein field equations. In our expanding universe with scale factor a, as a function of time t, with the constant k representing the curvature of space (we have measured it and it is about zero), the angles θ and φ being the normal azimuthal and polar angles in spherical coordinates, and r being the radius, the metric solution to your universe is:
It is a beautiful thing that each observer is in a unique position to be at the center of their own observed universe because the expansion of the universe results in a coherent Hubble flow away from your point of reference in every direction. Thus one may entertain the notion that you are at the center of the universe. However, an external observer would also perceive that they are at the center of the universe. Thus, while observationally everyone is at the center of their own personal expanding universe, we logically conclude that this is merely an observational illusion of isotropic and homogeneous expansion. By carefully examining anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background or measuring the redshift of galaxies in different directions over time we can determine if the Copernican Principle is valid.
Field of Science
-
-
RFK Jr. is not a serious person. Don't take him seriously.1 month ago in Genomics, Medicine, and Pseudoscience
-
-
-
The Site is Dead, Long Live the Site2 years ago in Catalogue of Organisms
-
The Site is Dead, Long Live the Site2 years ago in Variety of Life
-
-
What I read 20194 years ago in Angry by Choice
-
-
-
Histological Evidence of Trauma in Dicynodont Tusks6 years ago in Chinleana
-
Posted: July 21, 2018 at 03:03PM6 years ago in Field Notes
-
Why doesn't all the GTA get taken up?6 years ago in RRResearch
-
-
Harnessing innate immunity to cure HIV8 years ago in Rule of 6ix
-
What kind of woman would pray for health or use spiritual healing?8 years ago in Epiphenom
-
-
-
-
-
-
post doc job opportunity on ribosome biochemistry!9 years ago in Protein Evolution and Other Musings
-
-
Blogging Microbes- Communicating Microbiology to Netizens10 years ago in Memoirs of a Defective Brain
-
Re-Blog: June Was 6th Warmest Globally10 years ago in The View from a Microbiologist
-
-
-
The Lure of the Obscure? Guest Post by Frank Stahl12 years ago in Sex, Genes & Evolution
-
-
Lab Rat Moving House13 years ago in Life of a Lab Rat
-
Goodbye FoS, thanks for all the laughs13 years ago in Disease Prone
-
-
Slideshow of NASA's Stardust-NExT Mission Comet Tempel 1 Flyby13 years ago in The Large Picture Blog
-
in The Biology Files
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Markup Key:
- <b>bold</b> = bold
- <i>italic</i> = italic
- <a href="http://www.fieldofscience.com/">FoS</a> = FoS