Tag: inflation

Gravity Waves or Not? Big Discovery May Need a Tune-Up

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Last year we received some incredible news about Cosmology and the Big Bang.  An experiment devised to find the signature of the inflationary model of the Universe told the world they had done it!  The world cheers, as did many scientists; but of course there are always reasons to be sceptical, especially with claims that have such an impact for humanity let alone the science world. And now it seems the scepticism was correct, as the conclusive result has now been deemed inconclusive.  This doesn’t mean its false, not by a long shot, but it does mean the research team...

Questions Series: How do we know the size of the Universe?

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A set of questions I get from kids and adults alike while doing my Astronomy in Action planetarium shows consists of the following: Does the Universe have an end? How big is the Universe? Where is the center of the Universe? What is the ‘Observable Universe?’ How is it different from just saying ‘the Universe?’ First of all, let me say that it is really hard to imagine the Universe as it is, even with a solid understanding of large-scale Physics.  This is because there is no analogy in our lives, no reference point in our everyday experience.  It’s very...