A theory on the accelerating expansion of the universe...?

Question

Scientists seem confident that the rate of expansion of the universe is increasing. I don't believe this, and i want to know if my theory has an flaws to it.

The evidence, as far as im aware, for the universe expanding faster is that the father away from earth we look, the faster galaxies are moving away from us. The galaxies etc. that are billions of light years away are massively red shifted, showing that they are moving away from us at a phenomenal rate.

The thing i dont understand is, these are galaxies billions of light years distant, the light from them has taken billions of light years to reach us. Meaning the light left these galaxies during the 'early years' of the universe. So surely the fact that they are red shifted is because back then, when the big bang was still recent, everything WAS expanding at a phenominal rate, and now, billions of years later, things have slowed down, which is why nearby galaxies dont appear to be travelling away as fast....

My point is, is it possible that we are simply observing light from a time when the universe was expanding very quickly (just after the big bang), but we have misinterpretted this expansion as something that is happening now, and so invented the concept of dark energy to explain it?

so the light from distant galaxies is becoming MORE redshifted over time? right, i think i see the flaw in my thinking now! thanks for clearing it up. I still dont like the whole dark energy concept, i cant help but feel we're missing something somewhere. but at least i now understand the mechanism behind the universe's expansion...

Answer 1

The short answer to your question is that this effect has been taken into accountand doesn't explain the actual observations.

The longer answer is also more technical. The red shift has a couple of correct interpretations. One is the velocity interpretation that you mentioned. Another, and somewhat more accurate is that it comes from lengthening of the wavelength of light in response to the universal expansion. Remember that it is space itself that is expanding. This causes the wavelength of light to lengthen also which gives a redshift. What the surverys of distant supernovas have done is to determine that this expansion effect has changed over time by accelerating. This is opposite to what was expected and what you are proposing.

While the universe did go through a period of hyperinflation *very* early on, this effect happened long before there were galaxies or supernovae, so the inflationary time period is not picked up on in the supernova studies. It was expected that the rate of expansion would slow down after that and continue to slow down. This is not consistent with observations.

Answer 2

The red shift shows the speed that the other galaxiess are moving away, not whether they're accellerating or not. Edwin Hubble used the red shift of other galaxies to determine that they are all moving away from each other at a certain speed. The Hubble telescope was used to determine the distances to the other galaxies using cephid variable stars, which vary exactly proportion to their brightness. The idea that the universe is accellerating its expansion comes from the Hubble telescope's ovservation of supernovas in those galaxies. The Hubble looked at a certain type of supernova (type 1A), and found that they were dimmer than they should have been. Type 1A supernovas are always the same brightness because of strict physical laws, therefore something must be off. Scientists could only explain it by assuming that the expansion rate is accellerating. The "why" is an entirely different topic.

Answer 3

Thats a brilliant observation and a very nice statement johnno. I agree with you. But the fact is that even astronomers have taken this into consideration.
The increasing expansion (that astronomer and scientists talk about) is not only based on the farther galaxies but the near by galaxies too. It is based on the metric expansion. Here is an analogy. Draw dots on a balloon. Then blow the balloon with air and the distance between the dots tends to grow. Its not the dots that are trying to move away on a fixed sized ballon,but its the whole balloon that's expanding. Similarly, scientists think its the whole space-time continuum that is expanding with the microwave background and not the objects moving away in a fixed space fabric. What is the space expanding "into" is again a whole new discussion.

Answer 4

the speed of light is an absolute decrease specifically Relativity. frequently Relativity, 2 gadgets can't bypass one yet another swifter than problem-free, yet issues very distant interior the direction of acceleration can change their distance many cases swifter than problem-free. it truly is because acceleration shrinks area in share to the area. the speed of develop is the Hubble consistent H?, it truly is envisioned (in SI instruments) at more effective or less 2.4 x 10^-18/s. the area to some distance away galaxies will develop on the speed of H? cases the area; v = rH?. for instance, if r = 10^25 m, v = 2.4 x 10^7 m/s. If r > c/H?, then the area will develop swifter than problem-free. it truly is the Hubble decrease, about thirteen billion problem-free years, it truly is the length of the seen universe. problem-free can by no ability attain us from something previous the Hubble decrease. although, this isn't seen to be an certainly speed. In comoving coordinates, speed is relative to the community comoving area, no longer relative to the observer. the speed of adjusting distance because of develop of area is seen to be an "glaring speed". about 15 years in the past, astronomers got here across info that the upward push is accelerating. In different words, the cost of H? may be increasing. This leads to an glaring paradox. the swifter area expands, the smaller the seen universe turns into.

Answer 5

The universe expanded,after the first thirty-billionths of a second,at the speed of light.
It could never accelerate after that.
You are right about the red shift.
The universe is slowing down,and may already have reached it"s maximum size.

Answer 6

The magnitude of the red-shift of the light coming from extremely far distances is increasing. The magnitude of the red shift is proportional in some manner to the velocity of the object that is moving away from you. Therefore, scientists rightly inferred that these galaxies are beginning to move faster.

Answer 7

Just what you brought up has given some credence and speculation that the Universe is pulsing.... A fairly new concept and gaining some acceptance in some scientific circles.

Answer 8

And you think that, perhaps, astronomers did not factor in those adjustments already?

They did.