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Astronomy/Is the big crunch still a possible theory

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Expert: - 5/13/2005


Question
Hi.
I have (very basic) understanding of the open/closed theories of the universe and the big bang / big crunch ideas.

I think I read in a book a couple of years ago (one of those US almanac yearbooks) that evidence had recently been found to discredit the idea of the big crunch - to do with the rate at which galaxies were travelling. Is this true?

Answer
Stefan,

Astronomers now believe in an endlessly accelerating, expanding universe, not a Big Crunch.  You are correct.  Here is a recent link about the topic, with up-to-date information abou related topics.
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/050322_dark_energy.html

An excellent, excellent site to be aware of is Ned Wright's Cosmology Tutorial.
http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~wright/cosmolog.htm

I hope this is helpful.  Keep Looking Up!
--Ed

Astronomy

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Ed

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I am not a professional astronomer by any means, but astronomy has been an interest of mine since childhood, and I am well-informed on the subject. If unable to answer someone`s question personally, I will know how to quickly find the answer online, because I keep myself informed about developments in the field and I know where to look for information.

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I worked in an observatory for awhile at one point, doing various interesting things with a computer.

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