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The Universe
New findings in 2003 reveal that the shape of the
Universe is a Dodecahedron based on Phi
In October 2001, NASA began collecting data with the
Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) on
cosmic background radiation. Like visible light
from distant stars and galaxies, cosmic background
radiation allows scientists to peer into the past to the time when the
universe was in its infancy. Density fluctuations in this radiation can also
tell scientists much about the physical nature of space.
NASA released the first WMAP cosmic background
radiation data in February of
2003. In October 2003, a team including
French cosmologists and Jeffrey Weeks, a freelance mathematician
and recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship or "genius
award," used this data to develop a model for the shape
of the universe.
The study analyzed a variety of different models for
the universe, including finite vs. infinite, flat, negatively curved
(saddle-shaped), positively curved (spherical) space and a torus (cylindric). The study
revealed that the math adds up if the universe is finite and shaped
like a dodecahedron, as in the illustration below
provided by Weeks:
The connection to Phi is found in the Pentagons that
form the faces of the Dodecahedron
A shown on the Geometry
page, A dodecahedron consists of twelve pentagons. Take a pentagon and
connect all the points to form a 5-pointed star. The ratios of the
lengths of the resulting line segments are all based on phi,
 , or 1.618!
See the Five and Phi and
Penrose Tiling pages for other relationships of
the number 5 and pentagons to phi.
This is still a theory, but supported by data that
can be tested
Weeks cautioned that his team's model of a
finite, dodecahedral-shaped universe, while promising, is hardly a proven
theory. He said, "There's more work to be done. It
could be affirmed, or it could be refuted.
What makes it exciting now is it's not a matter of idle speculation.
There's real data to look at and the possibility of getting a
definite answer." If proven by further
evidence and scrutiny, the model would represent a major discovery about the
nature of the cosmos.
A description of their research appears in the science journal
Nature and at
National Geographic, also presented
HERE.
Thanks go to J.D. Ahmanson for first
bringing this finding to my attention.
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