Doubts about cosmic expansion

I don't know how much sourcing I can provide on the net, but books such as those by Timothy Ferris give a fairly up-to-date picture of a large-scale structure of the obersvable universe.

What troubles me is that, given discovery of structures of galactic groups, clusters and superclusters, and even giant "bubble-like" structures of galaxies, and unknown centres of gravity such as the "Great Attractor" (unknown becuase our own galaxy is inconveniently placed so as to block it from view), to what extent are we able confidently to say that all galaxies are now receding from us. Atronomers "account" for local gravitation when they measure the redshift which is indicative of cosmic expansion. Given how hard it is even to predict the motion of three bodies in orbit about each other this seems an arduous task to achieve on a scale of several hundred million galaxies in structures we don't even yet understand. Furthermore, expansion is only seen in the observable universe, with some models of expansion implying that the observable universe is a tiny fragment of a whole.

Aside from galactic redshifts, the microwave background is all there is to indicate a big bang model is correct. Has no-one else wondered whether it isn't time for a radical reconsideration of alternatives? (eg. given an infintely old [or at least very old] universe in infinite [or at least very large] space, the density of supernovae over the sky could eventually average out to the isotropy observed in the cosmic backgrond - just a throwaway sugestion).

Anyway, just wondered if anyone had any views on this all....

[edit on 4-1-2006 by d60944]

Pretty similar to the thread i just started. I have just began to wonder if what we think we know is right or if we have just made it fit.

I dont think we will ever know. I dont think we have the time and even if we had all the time in the world i still dont think we would.

Izzy Brewer

Pretty similar to the thread i just started. I have just began to wonder if what we think we know is right or if we have just made it fit.

I dont think we will ever know. I dont think we have the time and even if we had all the time in the world i still dont think we would.

Izzy Brewer

Don't know if it's just me but for some reason all of your posts, Izzybrewer, are coming up as blank for me in the main body of the threads you post on (tho I could read it once I replied to this, in the little resume that appears under the box you write replies into). Odd....

Cheers.