

The Universe
Oct 6, 2025
Dive into the wonders of the universe, where existential panic meets cosmic theories! Discover why the night sky isn’t as bright as we’d expect, thanks to Olbers’ Paradox. Jonathan shares insights on the Big Bang and the steady state debate, alongside the serendipitous discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation. Playful discussions like the Dead Frog Theory highlight the importance of community in our quest for knowledge. Join a journey through time, the cosmos, and the riveting questions that keep us gazing at the stars.
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Olbers Paradox And The Night Sky
- If the universe were infinite and eternal, every line of sight would end on a star and the night sky would be as bright as the Sun's surface.
- Olbers used this logic to show the universe must have a boundary in time or space.
The Theater Vertigo That Feels Like Infinity
- Jonathan describes a childhood concert panic where looking up at a domed ceiling triggered a falling-through-space terror.
- He links that vertigo to moments of confronting ideas too big for his everyday understanding.
Two Competing Cosmologies
- By mid-20th century cosmology offered both steady-state and expanding-universe models, the latter implying a beginning in time.
- The expanding-universe idea led to the notion of a hot, dense origin later called the Big Bang.