Features

The Universe Might be a Giant Loop

By Marina Shenouda

People once believed that the earth was flat—that you could eventually fall off of its edge, and that was an accepted theory before science proved that the Earth was actually round. Before the 1500s, people believed in the geocentric theory—the idea that Earth was the center of the universe and the revolving point for other stars and planets, including our sun and moon, but in 1543, Nicolaus Copernicus published a book opposing that theory. Copernicus suggested that the sun was the center point for Earth’s revolution, this is known as the heliocentric theory. Nearly 100 years later, Galileo Galilei published a book supporting Copernicus’ idea, the only difference being that Galilei provided scientific evidence for the theory.

In modern times, scientists believe that our universe is flat. Recent studies, however, may prove that theory wrong. During a study of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), “a faint echo of the ‘Big Bang’” (FoxNews) was detected. Data showed that our universe is shaped like a big inflated balloon, rather than being flat and ongoing. In a flat universe, if two photons traveled in parallel, they would never meet. On the other hand, the new theory of a closed universe suggests that if two photons traveled in parallel, they would eventually meet at ends. This anomaly in the CMB shows that there is more gravitational lensing, the ability of gravity to bend microwaves, than current physics can explain.

Considered a cosmological crisis, the shape of our universe could change physics as we know it. The possible difference in shape would alter our findings about the universe and physics. It would result in a large discrepancy in how fast our universe is expanding and scientists would have to change the current model of the universe and its formation. While there is a chance that the theory of a closed universe may be a statistical fluke based on one piece of evidence, scientists should soon be able to determine which model of the universe is accurate—and whether our study of physics needs to be changed, a crucial component that explains the nature of our world.

Many scientists, however, disagree with the conclusions of these findings—they claim that our universe is still flat. With these discrepancies in theories and findings, scientists will have to closely monitor and study our universe to unravel the truth. The Simons Observatory, currently being constructed in Chile, should verify whether our universe is flat or spherical.

Posted 02/02/2020