"The universe is expanding" How do we know that the universe is expanding? Could we be mistaken? Is it merely our knowledge of the universe that is expanding? Resulting in more data to process, creating the illusion of expansion of data we never had ?☺
by 
Chris
ANSWERS: 7
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Doppler shift.
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We don't really know, it's a theory. An educated guess, just the best hypothesis. No question our knowledge grows with each passing day and you may be accurate in that we are just experiencing the illusion of expansion. It's been one hell of a ride so far but we still have a very long way to go(IMHO)
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A really smart friend of mine heard it on the radio.
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I do not believe we have that much knowledge to know if the entire universe is expanding. Yes we have come a long way but we are nowhere as smart as some of us think that we are. I personally believe the universe is never ending. not expanding but has no end. I can not prove my theory or even know how to go about it but I say my guess is as good as anyone else's.
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Because of Doppler shift it has been a long held theory that the universe is expanding, however the debate lies in what happens next, does the universe contract back down in a "big crunch" as opposed to big bang, or does it continue to expand, or does it break off into smaller parts and produce other universes? Is our one of these "offspring universes whose particular physical laws allow our existence? Who knows but it's fun to ponder.
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I wish I had a clue, sorry. Oh, you live in Northern Florida, right? If you do, can I e mail you a question that I'd prefer not to ask on here?
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All of our best theories are based on the data we have to back them up. So, to answer your question, our belief that the universe is expanding is based on the evidence we have so far to back up that claim. As we obtain more data that refutes or supports our current belief system, our current model may or may not change.
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