Universe Expansion: What Am I Missing?

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The discussion centers on the concept of the universe's expansion, highlighting that it is supported by several key observations, including galactic redshift, cosmic microwave background radiation, and supernovae. Participants express confusion about the reasons for the expansion and question whether it could be a result of other phenomena, such as massive objects warping space. The role of dark energy in accelerating the expansion is acknowledged, yet some participants suggest alternative theories, including the possibility of the universe contracting. Despite these doubts, the consensus remains that the evidence overwhelmingly supports the idea that the universe is expanding. The conversation emphasizes the importance of understanding established scientific theories while remaining open to new ideas.
  • #31
Drakkith said:
We MIGHT not be right? Are you kidding me? We KNOW we might not be right. That is one of the mainstays of science! It's built into the scientific method! That's why you will never hear a decent scientist say that they know something is 100% true, no matter what. Thats why you have things like the announcement of the finding of a new particle that looks like the Higgs at a confidence level of 5 sigma, or about 99.99994%

At least someone is being honest here. There is nothing wrong with taking consideration of other models which explains our observations, but one has to assume the standard model is correct or at least the most plausible for lots of reasons as in one of them is that it explains lots of our observations and undoubtedly shows it.
 
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  • #32
So, how does the contracting universe hypothesis explain the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect?
 

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