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The Accelerating Expansion of the Universe and Solar Sails?
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The Accelerating Expansion of the Universe and Solar Sails?
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LaurenD
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The Accelerating Expansion of the Universe and Solar Sails?
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05/04/2010 23:38:01 »
Is it possible that the surprising acceleration of the expanding universe is due in part, or in whole, to something like the force that drives solar sails to accelerate constantly.
Certainly there are other forces at work, but shouldn't this simple mechanism be taken into account?
Imagine if the entire universe consisted in just two stars, far enough apart to minimize any large scale gravitational effects. Surely the solar winds associated with each star would "push" on the other, and just like solar sails the two would accelerate in opposite directions. And even as the forces at work diminished, with distance, the stars would, like solar sails, continue to accelerate (though the rate of acceleration would diminish).
Of course, I'm suggesting that something similar, though more complicated, could partially explain why an entire universe of stars might 'push away' from one another in an ever accelerating spread. I'm not suggesting this is the only force at play, but wouldn't it be natural to assume it's part of the equation?
Clearly, I know nothing about Astronomy, and next to nothing about physics (I admit it [
]). But often it's a question from the "unschooled" that provokes those in-the-know to think outside the box, and once in a while with great results. So, I thought I'd throw out a childishly naive sort of question, and see if it might not inspire some more reasonable insight (or not?).
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