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posted by martyb on Friday April 10 2020, @02:19PM   Printer-friendly
from the uneven-is-odd dept.

Isotropy of the universe is the idea that the universe is the same in all directions, and is a founding principle of the laws of physics. However, that principle has been called into question by observations of galaxy cluster temperatures and luminosities.

https://scitechdaily.com/fundamental-principle-of-cosmology-cast-in-doubt-by-compelling-new-study/

"No matter where we look, the same rules apply everywhere in space: countless calculations of astrophysics are based on this basic principle. A recent study by the Universities of Bonn and Harvard, however, has thrown this principle into question. Should the measured values be confirmed, this would toss many assumptions about the properties of the universe overboard. The results are published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, but are already available online."

The paper (open access):
https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2020/04/aa36602-19/aa36602-19.html

Journal Reference (open access):
K. Migkas, G. Schellenberger, T. H. Reiprich, F. Pacaud, M. E. Ramos-Ceja and L. Lovisari. Probing cosmic isotropy with a new X-ray galaxy cluster sample through the L X – T scaling relation , 8 April 2020, Astronomy & Astrophysics.
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201936602


Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by leon_the_cat on Friday April 10 2020, @06:26PM (1 child)

    by leon_the_cat (10052) on Friday April 10 2020, @06:26PM (#980885) Journal

    Ah but why? Remember our Gods must be infallible.

    "Human beings live in a state of mind called 'sanity' on a small planet in space. They are not quite sure whether the space around them is infinite or not (either way it is unthinkable). If they think about time, they find it inconceivable that it had a beginning. It is also inconceivable that it did not have a beginning. Thoughts of this kind are not disturbing to 'sanity', which is obviously a remarkable phenomenon and deserving more recognition." Celia Green

    Big bang theory "solves" this metaphysical problem. You can then ask useful questions like what happened at 1X10^-52 seconds after the big bang. You may not however ask what happened 1 week before the big bang as presumably there was no time or enthropy. To join these points would require some cosmic space ghost and well you know that would kind of defeat the point of getting our metaphysical house in order.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @04:15PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @04:15PM (#981174)

    +1 for the Celia Green quote. Unfortunately she got stuck in her head (yes, we HEARD about your high school already) rather than putting that gift to any use.