Does the shape of the universe change over time?

Question

In my research, I've found that the universe is defined by past scientific observations as being flatly shaped (see http://www.superstringtheory.com/cosmo/cosmo2a.html ) What I'm wondering is if the density parameter of space has always been the same and, therefore, if the shape of the universe has always been the same. Or is the universe progressively moving towards a particular shape?

Answer 1

I read in new scientist an incredibly hard to understand way of describing the shape of the universe as an inverse curvature, before the writer essentially summed it up by saying and I quote "imagine a pringle".

It did make me laugh though.

Answer 2

The only absolute in existence is change.

Answer 3

The Universe doesn't have shape, it's borderless. When discussing extra dimensions, we can imagine the 3-dimensional space of the Universe as a flat surface of an air balloon (which is expanding), but it's just an allegory to help us envision the extra dimensions. The Universe is not literally flat.

To quote the article that you yourself linked to, "to astronomers, flat means that the usual rules of geometry are observed - light not being bent by gravity travels in straight lines, not curves." That's all. If space is not curved, it's called "flat".

Answer 4

yep the shape of the universe change over time because time is fast when it's closer to the sun..n it's slower when it's far from the sun coz it's the center of the universe coz it's the basis of the rotation of the earth that's why there is day and night because of the Moon appears "upside down" compared to a view from the southern hemisphere and the view of the stars is different. The North Pole faces away from the galactic centre of the Milky Way, this results in there being far fewer and less bright visible stars in the northern hemisphere compared to the Southern Hemisphere, making the northern hemisphere more suitable for deep-space observation as it is not 'blinded' by the Milky Way.

Answer 5

Yes

Answer 6

You have misinterpreted what you read. In many ways the theoretical discussions of space may be simplified by talking about things as if they were a flat sheet of some material that a person can visualize.

However, those discussions are not meant to imply that

space itself is a flat sheet arrangement. Nor, should we

assume that space has some type of shape. Space extends from the Earth (the Sun actually, but we happen to live on the Earth, and that is where most of our observations and considerations take place.) out to distances of 13 Billion Light Years (Max range of Optical Telescopes) or 40 Billion Light Years (Max range of Radio Telescopes) in "all directions" from Earth. Hence, space can not possibly be a flat sheet.

If you wish to see what space looks like (as far as we can determine - goes on well beyond that, only we are limited in our views by the capability of our viewing equipment), please go and visit site:

http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com

If you step through the slides that are presented there, you

will get a good representation of the size and complexity of Outer Space. Please notice that there is no mention or discussion of "SHAPE."