A cosmic hall of mirrors

[YankeyMCC]

(snip)
"The Poincaré dodecahedral space can be described as the interior of a 'sphere' made from 12 slightly curved pentagons. However, there is one big difference between this shape and a football because when one goes out from a pentagonal face, one immediately comes back inside the ball from the opposite face after a 36 degree rotation. Such a multiply connected space can therefore generate multiple images of the same object, such as a planet or a photon. Other such well-proportioned, spherical spaces that fit the WMAP data are the tetrahedron and the octahedron."
(snip)

http://physicsweb.org/articles/world/18/9/3

I remember when this 'soccer ball' idea was first reported in the main stream press. I don't think I fully understood the implications of it then, and I'm gonna have to finish my coffee before I attempt to read this article. :)

But I thought I'd go ahead and post it here now.

[EST]

1. I was under the impression that the CB radiation actually proved

that space was open, ie:flat-zero overall curvature.
Cbr might also be a measuring artifact, given that it seems to be of equal strength from all directions, which should only occur if the earth/sol system were the actual center of the universe-very unlikely.

I also can't get past the cavalier treatment of the fact (assuming Einstein was correct) of our observation point's being deep in the sun's gravity well, although off center, and also deep in the earth's own space/time distortion.
The background noise may well be a result of the local stressing of the continuum by these masses, generating a strictly local effect which would disappear if our observation point were well outside the orbit of pluto and free-floating, rather than being tied closely to a planet.

[rman]

3. Isn't earth by definition in the center of the visible univers?

Visible from earth, that is.

So in seeing the CBR we aren't seeing the actual edge of the univers, just the limits of our observation. I can't think of a reason why that limit would look different depending on direction.

[EST]

4. Makes sense,

However, that would imply that the actual universe would have to be at least twice the size currently accepted, or at least 28 billion l.y., which would really upset calculations. This would also upset the big bang model, as would any assumption of anything other than flat topology.

My own suspicion has it that further improvements in our ability to observe will knock the whole "observable universe" vs. space model into a cocked hat, anyhow.

Of course the observed galactic rotation speed curve violations, stimulating the "dark matter" controversy, and the observed apparent acceleration of our '70s space probes have raised questions about topology. (sigh) There is so much we simply don't know and can only conjecture about.

[opihimoimoi]

2. I saved it for Bush to read later...there should be a French Version available...

Thankx for the site...I gatta get some coffee too.