The seeable universe is billions of light years across and i wonder if we would know right away if it were collasping in on itself or if it would take billions of years for us to know. Technically, it could be happening RIGHT NOW and we just dont' know it yet...what do you think?
2006-12-19 03:08:47 · 8 answers · asked by shell92107 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
That's true...depending on the rate of collapse, it may well be already happening as we speak...but due to the limitations that light speed puts on our ability to observe the universe in "real time", it may well appear to happen spontaniously and abruptly, and we'd never have a forewarning. We'd never know what hit us.
A Gamma Ray Burst could have the same effect...if two black holes collided yesterday at a distance of 10 light years. We wouldn't know about it for another 10 years...we'd be hit by the Gamma Ray Burst, our atmosphere would burn up and dissipate, and we'd be done before we even knew what happenned. And there's no way to predict when such an event could occur.
2006-12-19 03:53:35 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
The value of the expansion or contraction of the universe is measured by the red shift of galaxies billions of light years away. There is no question that the universe is expanding. The question is how fast is it expanding. The number measuring the expansion rate is called the cosmological constant, or by the Greek letter lambda.
If the universe were "imploding" right now, lambda would be different and could be measured immediately by measuring the wavelength of light from that same distant galaxy and noticing the immediate change in the value of the red shift.
2006-12-19 12:29:17 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
It actually can't be happening right now. The universe is known to still be expanding. Researchers can measure this using the blue and red light shifts of the doppler effect. Technically, if the universe was imploding, we'd know; it would also take millions of years though.
2006-12-19 11:15:40 · answer #3 · answered by nerd_at_heart 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well if it started recently we wouldn't know, the light we're seeing is still mostly redish. It would take a while (billions of years) for the blueish light to get here.
2006-12-19 11:16:03 · answer #4 · answered by dgbaley27 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Correct. Even if it is happening right now, we would know only after the light (from whereever it is happening) reaches us - which could be billions of years later.
2006-12-19 11:37:56 · answer #5 · answered by ramshi 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
With so much time, it'd leave a good amount for each of us to do a good amount of living in the meantime I'd say.
2006-12-19 11:16:35 · answer #6 · answered by Answerer 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We would know now from the red shift of light.
2006-12-19 11:12:33 · answer #7 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If it were happening, it wouldn't only be the outermost stars. If gravity were pulling them in, it would be pulling EVERYTHING in. So yes, we would see it all around us.
2006-12-19 11:48:51 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋