I was wondering what could possibly cause galaxies to move apart from one another at increasing rates of speed.
To my thinking the big bang would account for expansion, but an increasing rate of expansion seems to violate the second law of thermodynamics, and yet this appears to be the case.

One way to account for this increasing expansion would be for the Universe to be spinning and if the rate of spin was increasing because the universe was collapsing simultaneously.
To the observer within the universe all matter would be racing apart as the spin increases.

I thought to use a series of gyroscopes to measure precession and possibly determine the orientation of spin if the universe has one.
Turns out I'm not the first person to wonder this and the experiment is already underway [link] using laser interferometer gyroscopes.

What I can't help wonder now though is if the Universe is actually shrinking.
If we determine that it has rotation it should be possible to measure the difference in expansion rates between galaxies in line with the Universal poles and those lying along its equator to determine a rate of rotation.
We assume the Universe is expanding because all of the galaxies we see are racing apart.
A shrinking Universal centrifuge would have the same effect and may shed some light on dark-matter gravitational discrepancies.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Nov 04 2012

Doh! http://www.newscien...universes-spin.html
I love the smell of facepalm in the morning... [2 fries shy of a happy meal, Nov 04 2012]

//What I can't help wonder now though is if the Universe is actually shrinking.// Judging from the average American waistline, the Universe is not shrinking uniformly. [+]
-- sqeaketh the wheel, Nov 04 2012


The question is, which way is time going?
-- RayfordSteele, Nov 05 2012


Every way as far as I can tell.

[bigsleep] I can't find another anno on the subject either from you either. wouldn't mind reading it though.
It just kind of makes sense... in a counter-intuitive sort of way and, if proven to be true, begs the question;
What does the Universe rotate in relation to?
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Nov 05 2012


I heard it through the grapevine that we are going to bump into Andromeda one day...
-- xandram, Nov 05 2012


That would be something to see.

I think that this idea is maybe a bit too spinny.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Nov 08 2012


Yes, I was thinking that the slightest imperfection in symetry of the big bang would automatically create spin over time.

I'm not entirely sold on it, but I like to think that the universe is 'within' some framework or other.
Turtles all the way down, fleas ad infinitum and all that jazz.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Nov 08 2012


I thought that the spiral shape of galaxies was caused by the spinning black hole at the center imparting a twisting force on space-time. EDIT: I may have found a problem with this idea. If the universe was spinning wouldn't that cause objects closer to the edge to move outwards tangent to those closer to the center? In that case everything would still be getting farther apart, but not in the uniform stretching motion that we observe. Discuss.
-- DIYMatt, Nov 09 2012


Which is why all galaxies are thin at one end; much, much thicker in the middle and then thin again at the far end. That is the theory that I have and which is mine and what it is, too.
-- spidermother, Nov 09 2012


Well if by //all galaxies// you mean a few of them, then sure.
-- DIYMatt, Nov 09 2012


Of course that's what I mean.
-- spidermother, Nov 09 2012



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