Science: Horizon of the Universe

How big is the universe? The question has been debated for centuries with no decision. Some theorists think that the universe is infinitely large, with galaxies extending forever into infinite space. Others believe that it is finite, curving back on itself in a fourth-dimensional way.

Cosmographer Thomas Gold of Britain's Royal Observatory was asked the "how big" question. His answer, given in Nature: the universe has no definitive size. Instead, it has a "horizon."

Gold is a principal proponent of "continuous creation." He does not believe that the universe came into being suddenly at some remote moment in the past. Instead, he thinks...

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