Why is it impossible to have an infinite static universe?

The expansion of the universe overcomes gravity on the large scale, but not on the small scale. So, it is possible for matter to coalesce regionally to form stars and galaxies, but not for the entire universe to collapse on itself. However, this will ultimately happen If the expansion stops in the distant future.

Why did Newton think the universe was infinite in extent?

Isaac Newton believed gravity demands that the Universe be without a centre or an edge, and of infinite extent in all directions. In an infinite Universe, he believed, ‘the fixed stars, being equally spread out in all points of the heavens, cancel out their mutual pulls by opposite attractions. ‘

Did Einstein Meet Hubble?

The popular belief is that after Einstein met with astronomer Edwin Hubble at California’s Mount Wilson Observatory in January of 1931, Einstein was so impressed by Hubble’s evidence of an expanding universe, he renounced his belief in a static universe, and was an immediate convert.

What shape did Einstein think the universe was?

Assuming a universe that was static in time, and possessed of a uniform distribution of matter on the largest scales, Einstein was led to a finite, static universe of spherical spatial curvature.

Who proposed a static infinite universe?

A static infinite universe was first proposed by Thomas Digges. In contrast to this model, Albert Einstein proposed a temporally infinite but spatially finite model as his preferred cosmology in 1917, in his paper Cosmological Considerations in the General Theory of Relativity.

What is a static universe in cosmology?

Physical cosmology. A static universe, also referred to as a “stationary” or “infinite” or “static infinite” universe, is a cosmological model in which the universe is both spatially infinite and temporally infinite, and space is neither expanding nor contracting.

What are the characteristics of Einstein’s static universe?

Einstein’s static universe is closed (i.e. has hyperspherical topology and positive spatial curvature), and contains uniform dust and a positive cosmological constant with value precisely , where is Newtonian gravitational constant, is the energy density of the matter in the universe and is the speed of light.

Why is the universe so unstable?

It is unstable in the sense that any slight change in either the value of the cosmological constant, the matter density, or the spatial curvature will result in a universe that either expands and accelerates forever or re-collapses to a singularity.