Abstract
We now know that the entire universe is both expanding and evolving. These two remarkable facts have been established beyond doubt over the past century. The simple observation that the sky is dark at night indicates that the universe cannot be infinite and unchanging, comprised of an infinite number of unchanging stars. If that were so, then the stars (which have finite sizes) would overlap in every line of sight, and the sky would be as bright as the surface of the Sun in all directions. This is known as ‘Olbers’ Paradox’. The darkness of the night sky rules out an unchanging universe that is infinite in space and time.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Shaver, P. (2011). The Universe Is Expanding and Evolving. In: Cosmic Heritage. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-20261-2_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-20261-2_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-20260-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-20261-2
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyPhysics and Astronomy (R0)