Beercules writes:
No, it doesn't imply a finite universe. We really need a sticky FAQ on mainstream cosmology here.
Correct. In fact, infinite universe big bang models are probably the simplest models to get started with trying to understand the model.
The best FAQ reference, in my opinion, is
Ned Wright's cosmology tutorial. Ned is a professor of astronomy at UCLA, and also very helpful on giving accessible information to interested amateurs willing to go into a little bit of depth. Highly recommended. He also has a useful
FAQ.
Here is an extract on questions about
expansion from a point:
How can the Universe be infinite if it was all concentrated into a point at the Big Bang?
The Universe was not concentrated into a point at the time of the Big Bang. But the observable Universe was concentrated into a point. The distinction between the whole Universe and the part of it that we can see is important. In the figure below ...
Follow the link for the diagram and more details.
Cheers -- Sylas
[This message has been edited by Sylas, 04-04-2004]