roy wrote in message news:2175542.99oyr7YbeT@localhost...
Jim Greenfield wrote:

With mounting conjecture that we 'are not alone' in the universe, it
might be timely to appreciate how truly fortunate WE are in viewing
the heavens.
Apparently we are close to the position of the 'singularity' from
which the universe sprung into being some 13.7 billion years ago,
and can see its glory in all directions.

We are not at the centre of the universe (as far as I know) but at
the centre of cosmological expansion. Each and every point in space
is by BB a place where expansion begins and thus at a centre of
cosmological expansion. Given enough time (i believe about 15bly)
then we (Earth) would indeed become a centre of our *observable*
universe since expansion velocity at 14-15 billion light years would
be greater than C and light from those distant objects could never
reach us.

Not so those poor souls at the extremities!

Our observable universe may only be analogous in size to the whole
universe as a speck is to our own observable universe. An object at
15 billion light years distant to us is in this way not really at
the edge of the universe but only at the edge of our visible universe.
What's at the true extremities of the universe which may be much
larger than our visible universe? Nothing. It's theoretically just
empty expanded spacetime. Thus there are no observers
sitting out on the true edge looking into the inky abyss (false
vacuum if it still exists at this time).

If as claimed, the edge of the universe is 13.7 bly
away,

That is estimated age of the universe. Who said it represented the
distance to the edge? It may turn out that at an age of 13.7bly we
are indeed at the centre of our observable universe by now. That is
not the same thing as being at the centre of the universe at large.

the total width becomes 27.4 bly, and so they are only able to
'see' as far as us (half of it).
AND this doesn't take into account the fact that the material of
their home has travelled out from "The Big Bang" for 13.7 billion
years (and that's allowing light speed for matter), and then
emmitted light back to us that is claimed to have also taken 13.7
billion years for the trip = light and mass travelling about the
universe for 27.4 by then, when it is only 13.7 to begin with!!

Anyone living at the edge of our observable universe has their own
observable universe of 13.7 billion years age and visible horizon
just like ours but of course they will see another vista.

So what do those beings see? Not us, as they are more light years
away than the earth's age, and certainly not behind us (in their
view), as we are at the 13.7 limit of their view. And what if they
look outward? Are they gazing into an inky abyss?

No, they may be looking at a rareified region of the universe.

Roy, about now the Big Bang Theory arguement has changed so much from
the concept of an expansion coming from a singularity, producing a
universe of a particular age, dimension and history, that the term
should be altogether scrapped!
You'll notice that supporting posters even talk in terms of infinity
(an oxymoron to BB), and their squirms to explain isotropy and
homogeneity in an expanding universe are breathtaking in the leaps of
logic.
Mind you, "logic" in the eyes of a Big Banger is the ability to jump
at will from one 'frame of reference' to another- as it is with the
DHRs
A while ago, it would have been unusual to get even a shrug from a BB
about the view out from the edge of the universe (or most likely,
screaming and supercillious abuse); now the possibility of the view
being the same as ours (thus taking the universe to infinity) is
accepted by many as a given.
(The guy in "Lord of the Ring" fought on like that with an arrow in
his heart, but he still died-- bring on a similar fate for the the
Original Theory)

Jim G