Thursday, August 6, 2015
Our Observable Universe? Someone explain? Please?
I've learned that WE are NOT the center of the universe. That the universe is uniform in each direction and I've even heard it's impossible to even locate the real center of the universe. Because of the 3D layout and we can only think in 2D
Then I hear about our cosmic horizon, our "observable" universe.is 13.8 billion years old and with the expansion of the universe accounted for this has stretched to a distance 46 billion light years. And this is then supposed to be the radius of the universe. So the universe is 92 billion light years across, the diameter.
But this reasoning suggests WE ARE in the center and since WE can see 46 billion light years in every direction. It's like a sphere with radius 46 billion light years surrounding us.
Why then do scientists all the time say we are not in the center, but when they measure it's age and size they totally mark our place as the center? Then you hear them say our galaxy is not the center? If we're not in the center then 46 billion ly can't be the radius. Which one is it? Are we in the center or not?
Then I've also heard the universe is NOT shaped like a sphere and the real shape is note even firmly determined, but when they measure radius and diameter it's always assumed to be a sphere? That the shape depends on the curvature where a sphere is positive curvature but now they found it's flat, so not a sphere. Is it a sphere or not?
I'm very confused about this, can someone please explain this to me?
Added (1). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observable_universe
Read more: Our Observable Universe? Someone explain? Please?