I just re-connected with this modest plain-looking JPG file which is a plot of the universe's scale factor over time and thought I'd share it
this post in this other thread gives some context---links to the text of the article where this figure appeared, and to the other figures---so there's more explanation if you want.
http://physicsforums.com/showthread....15#post1289815
but here is the figure itself "The Size and Destiny of the Universe"
http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level...s/figure14.jpg
It is at the Caltech "Level 5" site.
Even though this picture is very simple and plain-looking, I really like it. It is like a favorite poster. First encountered it in 2003 and didn't see it for a long time, then re-encountered because of a question asked by a new member named Mwsund