The 'Star Wars' Universe v 'Battlestar Galactica' universe?
BG is like a mural with only one corner filled in. Star Wars had had a chance to illustrate and expand on their universe.
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What existed before the Universe?
I seem to remember some astrophysicists theorizing that the universe expands and contracts in big waves, so in essence, it collapses on itself and then explodes when its density reaches a certain point. I'm sure there is someone smarter than me than can answer it better, but the way I understand it, the matter in our universe is likely older than the universe itself. I'm no Stephen Hawking, so I'm probably way off the mark.
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Illusion that the universe is expanding?
There are much more simple ways to arrive at the same observables we see in the universe today. The one I like best is that light gradually loses energy over time. If different frequencies lost energy at a different rate, the universe would seem to be expanding.
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What is beyond the universe?
Its the kind of basic research that might lead to new discoveries someday. For me its just about the desire to know, so for my tax money I am happy to spend it in that direction. I realize I may be a minority, on the one hand, but on the other hand, there is plenty of my tax money going to things other people consider worthy that I do not, so its only fair.
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What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?
I beleieve Dr Smolin has made his contentions on this matter clear. He said that there is really essentially only one universe, and time is also essentially local. But its an interpretation but one i liken myself too.
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