Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Astronomy News

Here's tons of hype to Get Ready for the Perseids.

In more theoretical news, Technology Review reports Big Bang Abandoned in New Model of the Universe.

"Shu's idea is that time and space are not independent entities but can be converted back and forth between each other. In his formulation of the geometry of spacetime, the speed of light is simply the conversion factor between the two. Similarly, mass and length are interchangeable in a relationship in which the conversion factor depends on both the gravitational constant G and the speed of light, neither of which need be constant. So as the Universe expands, mass and time are converted to length and space and vice versa as it contracts. This universe has no beginning or end, just alternating periods of expansion and contraction."

It goes on to say that Shu's theory easily explains the red shift seen in supernovas without having to resort to dark energy. But without a Big Bang, he has yet to explain the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. Still, interesting stuff.

1 comment:

Michael Critz said...

The Skeptics’ Guide podcast talked about Shu’s hypothesis recently. They brought up a few interesting points. For instance, if Shu is right, then why is there background radiation? Or, why hasn’t the principle of entropy eliminated all the hydrogen in the universe?

It’s an interesting idea because it would answer some questions nicely, but doesn’t answer all the questions.