Science Based Cosmology

Possibly the web's most complete and accurate Glossary of Cosmology principles from a physics point of view. It is complete (and rare) because it presents all the best evidence and reasoning from both sides of the Big Bang controversy.

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Science Based Cosmology is limited to ideas meeting the minimum criteria for a scientific claim.
(c) Copyright David Dilworth, 1999-2011 All rights reserved worldwide.

Age, Universe

Older than Cher, younger than Mick Jagger. ( ;-)    ⁽¹⁾

Cosmologists have wildly divergent claims of Universe age: from about 14 billion to a trillion years old, to infinite in age. Big Bang supporters claim the Universe age is (13.7 billion years ). Other astrophysicists support cosmological models maintaining that our Universe is at least a Trillion years old to infinite in age.

Astrophysics

Cosmology is a subset of astrophysics that generally deals with structures and dynamics larger than solar systems, and some physics smaller than molecules.

Big Bang (or Expanding Universe) Models or Conjectures

"Big Bang" refers to not one idea, but an assortment of a few dozen controversial cosmology models or conjectures based on an Expanding Universe idea where gravity dominates the largest scale Universe dynamics rather than plasma and electromagnetic effects. These are often collectively called the "Standard Model" or "Standard Cosmology."

(The Big Bang set of conjectures are accurately described as a moving target. These amendments are intended to solve a few of Big Bang's problems.)

1) Inflation Conjectures

Inflation conjectures amend Big Bang, by claiming that the conjectured Universe Expansion underwent an astounding acceleration (magnitudes greater than light speed) completely within the very first second, and then slowed down to essentially zero (22 millimeters per second / light-year). They are intended to solve some of Big Bang's generally accepted problems including - Horizon, Smoothness, Flatness, Magnetic monopoles and arbitrary initial conditions.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#Inflation

2) Accelerating Universe

The Accelerating Universe conjecture amends Big Bang models by claiming the Universe is not merely expanding or stretching, but that the purported expansion has recently started accelerating. This concept is an interpretation of 1998 observations that distant supernova appear dimmer than expected.

Blackbody (radiation)

The microwave "background" radiation hypothesis claims to provide a "perfect" thermal emission spectrum to a blackbody.

Black Hole

(Not directly observed, inherently unobservable)

A hypothetical "object" or region of physical space where gravity is so strong it prevents any matter from escaping and even light cannot escape.

While the hypothesis itself means a black hole is inherently invisible or unobservable directly, there is powerful new evidence of several stars orbiting an invisible region at the center of our galaxy that is hard to explain as something other than phenomena visibly acting as a Black hole or Neutron star would.

Graphic courtesy W. M. Keck Observatory / UCLA Galactic Center Group

Blazar

Compact energy star/source at galaxy centers, with high amounts of X-ray radiation, and jets of matter ejected at near, and sometimes seemingly many times faster than (superluminal), the speed of light. These jets can exhibit Blueshift.

Blobs - Lyman Alpha Blobs

Huge volumes of gas as large as 400,000 light years across (4 times the diameter of our Milky Way galaxy).

Standard Candle

Magnitude

Magnitude, Absolute

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#Bright

(Bolometric) Luminosity : Total radiant energy from a source, from shortest to longest wavelengths, from gamma-rays to radiowaves. Brightness of an astronomical object totaling all energy across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, independent of distance. It is measured as absolute magnitude, measured in watts, or by using our Sun's brightness as 1.0 on the Solar scale.

Flux: Power per unit area (rate of water flowing through a hose). Sun's Flux ~ 1367 watts / square meter at Earth's surface (on a sunny day near the Equator).

Fluence = Flux x Time: Energy / unit area over a specific amount of time (e.g. kilowatt hours. Or the amount of water needed to fill a glass or a swimming pool.)

Electromagnetic Radiation Frequency and Wavelength: (very roughly - "temperature" of water in a hose - it makes little difference to brightness.)

Velocity: Always the same in a vacuum - "light speed"or "c"

Standard Candle: An astronomical object or phenomena with a brightness that is reliable distance indicator. Cepheid Variable stars and Supernova Type 1 are typically used as Standard Candles.

Magnitude: Relative brightness of an astronomical object measured in a specific wavelength or passband, usually in visible light range, using a logarithmic scale. Used to measure Flux. Five (5) magnitude units = 100x change in Flux.

Magnitude, Absolute: The apparent brightness of an object if it was at ~33 light years distance (10 parsecs) from Earth.

Magnitude, Apparent: The brightness of an object in visible light only. For example: even if a dimmer star is closer - it may appear brighter.

Distance Modulus: Difference between Magnitude & Absolute Magnitude

Bremsstrahlung

When electrons slow down in the electric fields of other electrons or protons they emit gamma-rays called Bremsstrahlung, Gas Reradiation, Braking radiation, or "free-free" radiation.

Burden of Proof Reversal

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#Burden

Confirmation Bias (or MySide Bias)

The tendency to only recognize evidence or reasoning that confirms an already held conclusion - even when that judgment is overwhelmingly refuted, groundless or ambiguous.

Confirmation Bias was cited by the Columbia Space Shuttle Accident Investigation Board as a leading reason why strong evidence of danger was ignored by program managers.

Congruence Bias

This phenomena may have prompted the observation "Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is [irrational]."

Cosmic Microwave / Millimeter "Background" Radiation (also CMBR, CMB, MBR, CBR and "relic radiation.")

(One photon at 1 millimeter wavelength has the energy of 0.001248 electronVolts.)

Just like most other astronomical radiation (except Quasars and Gamma Ray Bursts) Microwave (or millimeter) wavelength radiation does not show up uniformly in every sky direction. A raw whole-sky Microwave Radiation map looks extremely smooth; essentially zero variance. Processing narrows the dynamic range, adjusts the contrast and removes a dipole bias. Then a familiar dense pattern jumps out illuminating the plane and bulge of our own galaxy.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#CMR

Cosmic Microwave "Background" Radiation (CMBR) is a set of interpretations of CMR claiming that the Universe expanded and cooled from a tiny hot volume (Big Bang conjecture) leaving the faint CMR radiation that is purportedly an image of the early Big Bang Universe.

CMBR advocates claim the CMR is extremely uniform (isotropic), with an energy graph that looks like a "blackbody," and that the radiation itself (!) has an icy temperature peak just above absolute zero at about 2.73 degrees Kelvin.

Cosmic Microwave "Background" Radiation is composed of these claims:

Laws of Physics

Theory

Hypothesis

Conjecture

Model

Laws of Physics: A scientific generalization of a physics hypothesis or theory to explain natural phenomena that has been exhaustively tested, is supported with an overwhelming set of direct evidence and has never had repeatable contradicting observations or a reasonable rational dispute.

Gravity, electromagnetism and the Conservation of Energy and Mass are laws of physics. Laws of physics have more scientific value than theories and hypotheses.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#PhysicsLaw

Theory, scientific: A scientific hypothesis, which has been tested in many facets and has returned replicable results. A scientific theory has more credibility and scientific value than a hypothesis.

While ordinary conversations can use the words "hypothesis" and "theory" nonchalantly, science has strict limits on the use of those terms.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#PhysicsTheory

Hypothesis, scientific: An un-ambiguous testable idea.

1. "Crystal Clarity" Required: No one can claim to have a scientific theory or scientific hypothesis until it is fully and un-ambiguously described; no word, term, phrase, sentence or concept may have more than one possible interpretation or understanding.

3. A hypothesis or theory must also be testable to qualify as a scientific claim.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#Hypothesis

---- This line separates ideas composed with scientific rigor (above) from other ideas (below). ----

Conjecture: An idea not yet complete enough to reach the minimum criteria for a testable scientific hypothesis. It may need less ambiguous definitions, or phenomena which can be measured. A conjecture is not a scientific hypothesis or scientific theory.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#Conject

Model : An idea or concept that combines multiple ideas to help understand phenomena. Models are useful for thinking through problems with many, sometimes dozens of, variables and how they affect each other. Some models are equations or formulas, others are mental models. They can be physical or mathematical, static or dynamic, stochastic or deterministic, designed for optimization or simulation. Models are best used as education tools rather than predictive tools.

However, a model is rarely a scientific hypothesis or scientific theory because a model is not required to be 1) unambiguous, or 2) to have clear definitions. Models typically include intentionally variable definitions, missing parameters and hidden assumptions. Along with their generally poor to non-existent documentation models can too easily become "black boxes" that defy accountability. The dramatic distinction between models and a hypothesis is apparently not clear to far too many "Theoretical" scientists working with models.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#Model

Conservation of Energy and Mass

Two fundamental laws of physics stating that while mass can be converted into energy (e.g. an atomic explosion) and energy can be converted into mass, no energy-mass is created, lost or destroyed (all energy-mass is conserved) in any phenomena.

Some leading Big Bang advocates have claimed Conservation of Energy and Mass does not hold up at intergalactic distances - in spite of a complete lack of direct experimental evidence. ⁽²⁾

Cosmological Constant (or "Lambda") Conjecture

(Never directly observed)

The conjectured Universe wide, uniform repulsive force claimed to be pushing our galaxies apart. (dd: It might be easier to remember if it were called "Cosmological Pressure.")

But it purportedly does not act upon matter - only upon empty physical space, and it does not affect anything smaller than a cluster of galaxies. This means it can never be tested; it inherently defies observation. It also holds the record for missing its mark by the largest error in Physics -- an almost unimaginable 120 magnitudes. (That difference makes Homeopathy's "mere" 30 magnitude problem seem trivial.)

What this means is that the conjectured energy of empty space (vacuum energy) is 120 orders of magnitude more than all the energy we observe.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#CosConstant

Cosmological Principle

The assumption that on the largest scales our Universe is the same (e.g. in galaxy density and energy) from every place; that it is homogeneous and isotropic.

Cosmological Principle, Perfect

The assumption that our Universe is the same from every place and time.

Cosmologists

Cosmology Theorists primarily employ mathematics and pencils (dramatically less expensive, unless they use particle colliders. One collider, CERN's Large Hadron Collider, is the most expensive science experiment of all time).

(While I'm just kidding there is a phenomenon which inspired the amusing bumper sticker "Cosmologists are often wrong, but never in doubt.") This may be described by Dilworth's Hyper-Certainty Principle -- "Data quality and quantity is inversely related to advocacy certainty and ferocity." Thus the less and worse data available - the more certain the advocacy. This is dramatically apparent where zero data inspires huge certainty and advocacy.

Cosmology

The study of the largest scale structures and dynamics of our universe.

Cosmology includes the study of scientific hypotheses and scientific theories (as well as incomplete and ambiguous conjectures and models) which do not claim to have a beginning as well as those that do.

Our universe's largest structures are Supercluster complexes, Filaments and Walls of galaxies; Lyman Alpha Blobs of gas, Bubbles, and Voids with no galaxies. Some of these appear as large as 3.5 billion light years across. That's about a quarter of the distance to the farthest objects we can see and some 35,000 times larger than our Milky Way galaxy. How these structures move and change shape are some of the dynamics.

Cosmology involves the study of established phenomena including redshifts, galaxy surface brightness to distance ratios, diffuse microwave / millimeter radiation, supernova rise and decay curves, gamma ray burst spectrum stretching (dilation), galaxy rotation curves, Olbers paradox, and light element isotope abundances and ratios.

As of today these are measured only by observing photons (e.g. light): the wavelengths, brightness, spectrum, emission and absorption lines and their widths, location and polarization and how these phenomena change over time, including short term pulses.

There is very little astrophysics study of extragalactic electrons, protons or anything except photons. Magnetization of astrophysical phenomena is studied indirectly by detecting the photons / light from the phenomena. (However, thousands of physicists are now studying particle collision dynamics, which does not involve looking into the sky, with the most expensive science experiment in human history (roughly twice the cost of the Hubble Space Telescope) and calling it astrophysics.)

Cosmology also includes the study of conjectures of force and matter that have never been directly observed: Dark matter, dark energy (and its accomplices Quintessence & Phantom energy), Higgs bosons, inflation & accelerating Universe expansion, magnetic monopoles, curved space, cosmological constant (Lambda), Vacuum / Quantum Fluctuations, Virtual Particles, gravity waves, gravitons, strings, axions, tachyons, and "exotic matter."

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#Cosmology

Cosmology, Science-based

"Science based Cosmology" is limited to cosmology ideas which meet the minimum criteria for a scientific claim - non-ambiguity, and testability.

This does not mean we cannot imagine, speculate or suggest new ideas, only that if we want an idea evaluated as scientific, it must be a complete claim by meeting the minimums required for a hypothesis.

We can accurately refer to ideas which do not meet these simple criteria as "models," conjectures, concepts or stories.

The various set of Big Bang models, often called the "Standard Model," does not yet meet the minimum threshold for a scientific claim or hypothesis.

Big Bang Models

Plasma Models

Static Models

Steady State Model

Big Bang - A set of cosmology conjectures or models, collectively often called "The Standard Model" where gravity dominates the largest scale Universe dynamics rather than plasma and electromagnetic effects. The models propose that all the matter and forces we now experience as our Universe originated from a hot dot smaller than an electron some 14 billion years ago and expanded (not exploded) and cooled to what we now experience.

Big Bang, widely and vigorously disputed by a growing group of astrophysicists, is not yet a complete scientific claim because there is not yet a single agreed upon version (at least 32 versions including Lambda-Cold Dark Matter, relativistic Friedman-LeMaitre open and closed versions, McGaugh, Einstein-deSitter relativistic, LeMaitre, Eddington-LeMaitre, Zero Kelvin models and assuming just one Inflation version), and the versions available are inherently ambiguous models, all lacking fully defined terms.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#BigBangModels

Plasma Models - Cosmology Models where plasma and electromagnetic forces dominate the largest scale Universe dynamics rather than gravity. These models also claim that most of the matter is plasma.Electromagnetic forces are about 36 magnitudes stronger than gravity at the scale of a proton. There are both static and expanding Plasma models.

Under some Plasma models 100 percent of our Universe's matter, energy, forces and space is fully accounted for. There is no matter that is undetected, unexplained or unknown.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#PlasmaModels

Static Models (Euclidean non-Expanding or ENE) - Dynamically stable, non-expanding or stretching Universe models. Do not confuse with Steady-state models which involve expansion.

Most Static models fully account for 100 percent of our Universe's matter, energy, forces and space. There is no matter that is undetected, unexplained or unknown. Static models do not require constant matter creation from "nothing" that Steady state and expansion models do.

Skeptics claim Static models are weakened if galaxies from distant regions look significantly different than local galaxies. 1950's radio mapping seemed to indicate this was true. Other problems include how "remote" Type 1 Supernovas appear to fade more slowly than "nearby" Type 1s. This is a closer fit to expansion models than to static models. Critics of this point respond that the time difference between near and far supernova type 1 fading is just noise - not a real signal. Another problem is that galaxies appear to be roughly the same age, indicating they were created at the same time; and some claim that mathematics calculations make a static Universe impossible.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#Static

Steady State (and Quasi-Steady-state) - Cosmology models claiming our Universe has relatively constant density, but is expanding (not static) and thus must have constant matter creation - from nothing.

Steady State models were weakened by observations indicating there are apparently more faint radio sources (and more recently quasars) at large distances than nearby. This would support the idea of a "sphere" of events occuring at the greatest distance from here. The rebuttal is that this is an redshift anomaly. These models were also eclipsed and diminished by the work on "cosmic "background" microwave radiation."

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#SteadyStateModels

Cosmology Problems

Some of Big Bang's generally accepted problems include - Flatness Coincidence, Horizon vs Light Speed Limit, Missing Magnetic Monopoles, Excess Smoothness, Arbitrary Initial Conditions, Excess Lithium, Missing Mass, Singularity violating General Relativity, Globular Clusters are too old, and the Cosmological Constant 120 orders of magnitude error).

Other problems include Big Bang's spectral line redshift interpretation which is contradicted by abundant evidence including Binary star redshifts, Solar center-to-limb redshifts and Quasar hyperinflated redshifts. CMBR's's problems include its polarization, the deletion of raw Cosmic Microwave Radiation data because it is from our galaxy ("foreground"), its reheating, and the extreme improbability that the microwave/millimeter photons are "pure"; that they have not interacted with any matter: plasma, gas or dust in the billions of years of their travels.

Big Bang theorists do not discuss its more fundamental problems with science such as its failure to provide a single clear, unambiguous physics hypothesis; its failure to identify or provide a definition for "space" - independent of "space-time," or its multiple conflicts with conservation of energy and mass.

The Baryon Asymmetry or "particle - antiparticle" imbalance issue is not a real problem for Big Bang because its problem claim itself is a conjecture. It is really just an interesting observation compared to Big Bang's other gigantic and contradictory issues.

Critical Density

Big Bang's density threshold of space that separates the definitions of a closed Universe from an open Universe. The critical density is about 5 hydrogen atoms per cubic meter. The density of our Universe is "estimated" at about 1 hydrogen atom per five cubic meters.

This claim has no meaning outside Big Bang / Expansion models.

Dark Energy

(No direct experimental evidence)

(While I'm just kidding, neither Dark Energy or Dark Bulbs are scientific hypotheses.)

Dark energy is the 1990's conjecture that some unobserved energy or force permeates our Universe and increases its rate of expansion. Its amount is an "unimaginably low" value estimated to be about 4 electron volts per cubic millimeter - and it purportedly provides about three-quarters of all energy in the universe.

Its leading explanations are Lambda, Quintessence, or that gravity has recently (the last few billion years) acquired a new unobserved property - that it now repels as well as attracts.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#EnergyDark

Decoupling Era, or Surface of Last Scattering

The conjectured time and place when all cosmic microwave "background" radiation was produced, some 300,000 years after Big Bang commencement. This is closely associated with Recombination.

This claim has no meaning outside Big Bang / Expansion models.

Dipole, Microwave

One side of physical space, as we view it from here, is "hotter" in the microwave radiation frequency than the other side. This is interpreted as meaning our solar system is moving towards the hotter side.

Astronomical Unit

Light Year

Parsec

Astronomical Unit (AU) - approximately the mean distance from the Earth to our Sun; about 150 million kilometers (or 150 gigameters) or 93 million miles.

Emission Distance: The distance from here to the source of light at the time it was emitted. Astronomical objects have almost certainly moved since the light was emitted so are likely a different distance from us today. It is nearly impossible to establish current distance to astronomical objects outside our galaxy since we have only been measuring distances that far for about one hundred years, a mere blink of time in cosmological terms.

Light Year: 361 days. (. . . just kidding)

The distance light travels in a vacuum in a Julian year; almost 10¹³ (1 with 13 zeros) kilometers (or 63,000 AU). The speed of light is about 300,000 kilometers per second (186,000 miles per second).

Parsec: A distance measure used in astronomy, but less used in cosmology in favor of the "light year" which is much easier to use on large scales. A parsec is about 3.26 light years. Its short for "the parallax of one arc second."

Megaparsec = one million parsecs, or 3.26 million light years.

Redshift Distance: Distance to cosmological objects as measured by Spectral line Redshift. See Distance Ladder for other methods of measuring distance.

Distance Ladder, Cosmic

The many overlapping methods used to measure distance to astronomical objects, primarily galaxies. All these methods have a large uncertainty which grows with distance so it is probably more accurate to describe these as distance estimate tools.

These include Trigonometric Parallax, Apparent Brightness, and Tully-Fisher Relation, Faber-Jackson relation, and standard candles such as Cepheid Variable stars, Supernovae light curves (questionable), Spectral line Redshift.

While many of these other measures are used to verify Spectral line Redshift-to-Distance correlations, none can directly measure or verify the hypothesized Recession Velocity.

Tully-Fisher Relation

This provides a distance estimate using the ratio of a spiral galaxy's spin rate to its intrinsic luminosity. The Faber-Jackson relation is used for elliptical (non-spiral) galaxies.

Doppler Effect

The wavelength change of sound or movement of spectral lines of light as the emitter either approaches or travels away from you.

Doppler effect is often used to simplify the explanation of cosmological redshift, and is a genuine effect seen with redshifts from the approaching side of a galaxy compared to the receding side.

However, it is not widely understood that the well established Doppler effect is not the same phenomena as that claimed for the hypothesized recession velocity, which is then used to extrapolate the Universe expansion or stretching conjecture. To explain that, a new concept called Relativistic Doppler Effect was created. This idea cannot be examined in a lab.

To support the universe-stretching conjecture, these four concepts are often entangled, or confused:

Doppler Effect, Relativistic

The Universe Expansion conjecture does not use Doppler Effect, it employs and requires Relativistic Doppler Effect. This conjectured form of Doppler Effect was created by Big Bang advocates to explain why redshift increases with distance (why spectral lines shift). It is distinct from standard Doppler Effect by employing Special Relativity's Time Dilation.

While standard Doppler Effect can be easily created and has been studied extensively, there is no explanation for how to physically create or study this proposed phenomena. Nor can there be until we can experiment on phenomena that does not occur on scales smaller than galaxy clusters.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#DopplerRelative

DoubleSpeak

Dynamics, Mechanics or Kinematics

We try to describe changes in cosmological structure with mathematics, but because we do not know all of the dynamics or physics, mathematics can at best, only approximate how physical reality works.

Electromagnetism / Electrostatics

The second strongest of the four fundamental forces. Thirty six (36) orders of magnitude stronger than gravity at the scale of protons. Just like gravity, electromagnetism affects things at infinite distances. Its strength decays more rapidly with distance than gravity. Gravity's strength weakens by the square of the distance, electromagnetism weakens by the cube of the distance.

ElectronVolt (eV)

Escape Velocity

Escape velocity from Earth's gravitational attraction for a spacecraft at sea level at the equator is about 25,000 miles (40,320 kilometers) per hour.

Euclidean Geometry

Flat (non-curved) geometry having 3 dimensions typically depicted by an X axis, Y axis and a Z axis. Some cosmology models use other geometries; the Lemaitre Big Bang Model uses Spherical Geometry which is used to solve problems on two dimensional spherical surfaces such as our planet.

Expansion Conjecture

Universe Expansion is not the same claim as the Recession Velocity hypothesis.

The conjecture that our Universe (other than galaxies) is stretching or expanding based on the observation that Spectral line Redshift movements correlate with distance; that it has expanded (not exploded) for some 14 billion years into what we experience today from a ball smaller than an electron - but not of zero size called a singularity.

This Expansion conjecture requires support from several interdependent ideas including at least three conjectures --

Experimenter Effect

This effect is reduced with the use of a "Double Blind" study.

Fallacies, Logical

Attack the Messenger: For example an "ad hominem" argument ignores experimental evidence and reason and "attacks the messenger."

Applaud the Messenger: Similarly, "Appeal to Authority" also ignores experimental evidence and reason but "applauds the messenger" for their position, title, celebrity or credibility."

For example this glossary uses an "Appeal to Authority" in using the statement "String theory has no experimental support." - Roger Penrose. These are also examples of Personality debate - as opposed to subject matter debate.

Other fallacies common to cosmology include Burden of Proof Reversal, Confirmation bias, GroupThink, Congruence bias, Doublespeak usage, Experimenter Effect, Personality Debates, and invoking Priesthoods.

Filaments

Filaments are sheets of galaxies forming the boundary between two or more voids. Filaments are the largest known structures in our Universe and contain almost all the galaxies, but only half the known matter. The longest filament found is the "Sloan Great Wall" at about 1.4 Billion light years.

Forces, Fundamental

(Abundant direct evidence, though less for the Weak force)

Strong Force or Color Interaction: holds the nucleus of atoms together - only affects Quarks (not electrons), 38-39 magnitudes stronger than gravity at the scale of a proton, (38 magnitudes is astoundingly gigantic. See note below.) and is 137 times stronger than electromagnetic force. Strong force pushes (when less then one femtometer separates neutrons and protons) as well as pulls, and oddly has a pull that increases with distance at certain ranges. Effect only reaches out to a radius of 10^-14 millimeters.

Electromagnetic / Electrostatic / Magnetostatic: Acts on electrically charged matter, but at infinite range, 35-37 magnitudes stronger than gravity, has north and south poles (called dipole) and pushes as well as pulls.

Weak: (different from electroweak): affects Leptons (Electrons) and Hadrons (Protons and Neutrons), and is the only force significantly affecting neutrinos, 33-34 magnitudes stronger than gravity. Effect only reaches out to a radius of 10^-16 millimeters.

Gravity: spectacularly weaker than the other 3 forces, acts on all known matter at infinite range and even evidently affects photons / light / radiation. It is a monopole force - unlike magnetism.

Note: a trillion is 12 magnitudes and a quadrillion is 15 magnitudes. A rough distance (not force) reference: an atom's diameter is 30 magnitudes smaller than the distance to Virgo's cluster of galaxies.

Force Conjectures

Wholly unobserved conjectures that new forces exist (such as Dark Energy, Cosmological Constant (or "Lambda") Conjecture). See Science Fiction.

Formation, Galaxies and Structure - (Gravity vs. Electromagnetism)

The study of how matter (dust, gas, liquids, solids and plasma) organizes into galaxies.

Big Bang advocates have no reasonable explanation for how galaxies could have formed as quickly as that model requires. The only suggestion is that galaxies formed from quantum fluctuations in the aftermath of Big Bang.

Astrophysicists who prefer cosmology that is a far older than Big Bang suggest galaxies cluster from smaller particles of dust, gas and plasma, due to gravity and electromagnetic forces, since those forces exert effects at infinite distances.

The study of how galaxies, dust, gas and plasma organizes into structures, from galaxy clusters to superclusters to filaments.

Free (or adjustable) Parameters

Albert Einstein invented a Free Parameter he called the "Cosmological Constant." He added it to his General Relativity (GR) equations so they would provide the answers that fit his view of the universe.

In any case, employing a Free Parameter almost always prevents a model from achieving the quality and credibility of Hypothesis due to ambiguity.

According to the most cited author of Big Bang concepts, Princeton's P. James E. Peebles, the most well known Big Bang model, Lambda-Cold Dark Matter, employs and depends upon 6 or 7 Free Parameters (e.g. Baryon Density).

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#AdjustableParameters

Galaxy

A notably luminous accumulation of matter and millions to billions of stars bound by gravity and electromagnetic forces.

2. An Electromagnetic Galaxy is a luminous accumulation of millions to billions of stars and other matter bound primarily by electromagnetic forces. (This may be the first time this distinction has been defined.)

The several shapes of electromagnetic galaxies include: filaments, sheets, and walls.

Our own Milky Way, is a gravity galaxy, estimated to contain some 250 billion to a trillion stars. It is about 100,000 light years across, and 12,000 light years thick at its widest point - the center.

Galaxy Rotation Curves

However, new calculations (Gallo and Feng, 2010) show that the observed galaxy rotation curves are completely consistent with normal astrodynamics and Newtonian mechanics; and that the original galaxy mass distribution assumptions were incorrect. This makes the purported and undetected dark matter completely unnecessary.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#GalaxyRotate

Gamma Ray Bursts

Extremely high energy, point-source short-duration bursts of radiation with very high redshifts. They typically last only a few seconds, but can last almost as long as an hour. Soon afterwards less energetic radiation (x-rays, UV and visible light) shows up from the same locations.

Source and Distance: Unlike most other astronomical radiation, Gamma Ray Bursts show up uniformly in every sky direction - they do not show up in a dense pattern towards the center, or plane, of our own galaxy. None have low redshift values. These two things together mean that there are no close Gamma Ray Bursts. The closest recorded burst apparently occurred at about 1.6 billion light years from us, and the most distant more than 12.5 billion light years away.

There is no agreement on a good hypothesis for what causes them. Since they are so short lived it is not possible to see if they have any proper motion or to measure their distance with parallax as has been done with some Quasars.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#GRB

Gravity

Spectacularly weaker than the other 3 fundamental forces, Gravity is 35-37 magnitudes weaker than electromagnetism at the atomic scale. It acts on all known matter at infinite range and even evidently affects photons / light / radiation. Its force is a monopole - unlike magnetism. Its strength decreases as the square of separation distance.

The idea that gravity has different effects at large scales than small scales. There is no experimental evidence for this idea.

GroupThink (or Conflict Avoidance)

This is related to Bandwagon Effect, Informational Cascades, Jante law, and Herd Instinct.

Higgs Bosons

(No evidence)

Higg's Bosons are hypothesized particles that purportedly create gravity from a hypothesized "Higgs Field." They have neither been detected nor created and purportedly have markedly different properties from all known particles. They purportedly have no spin and act only on themselves (so how can they be detected?). CERN experiments have ruled out its mass being less than 80 times the mass of proton (114 Giga-electronVolts or Gev), but particle physics' "standard model" says its mass should be less than 170 Gev.

Update: August 22, 2011 CERN researchers report that no Higgs Boson evidence has shown up in essentially all of the places it should have been detected. This means the Higgs Boson hypothesis is almost certainly false; there is no Higgs Boson.

Homogenous

Hubble Constant, Hubble Parameter, or "H_0"

The conjectured recession velocity is claimed to be directly proportional to distance as measured by redshift. This ratio is known as the Hubble Constant.

This is based on the Expansion rate conjecture for Big Bang. The value is arrived at by using the redshift of an object, usually a galaxy or a supernova, to estimate its distance (non controversial) and then recession velocity hypothesis (which is disputed and unverified).

The Hubble Constant value is estimated at about ((72 km/sec) / megaparsec) +/- 8 km/sec, and as high as 90 and as low as 50.

This claim has no meaning outside Big Bang / Expansion models.

Hubble Distance or Hubble Length

The Expansion idea of the distance from Earth to where galaxies appear to be receding from us at exactly the speed of light; roughly where redshifts (z=) are about 1.5.

This claim has no meaning outside Big Bang / Expansion models.

Hubble's "Law"

The linear relationship between redshift and distance coupled with recession velocity. (Recession velocity = Hubble Constant times Distance)

This claim has no meaning outside Big Bang / Expansion models.

Hubble Time

The age of the Universe according to Big Bang; roughly 13.7 billion years (plus or minus 10%). Hubble Time and the Hubble Constant ("H₀") are reciprocals.

InterGalactic Medium or IGM (vs. Intra-galactic or InterStellar)

Intergalactic means the spaces between galaxies. This region contains about half of all normal matter at a very low density in the form of gas, dust, plasma, cosmic rays, and electromagnetic photons of all wavelengths and magnetic fields from gamma rays to radio waves.

Intra-galactic means within, or inside of, a galaxy.

Isotropic (uniform)

An-isotropy means non-uniformity - the opposite.

Jets

Extremely powerful focused flows of plasma ejected from galactic centers OR Blazars at near light speeds, sometimes reaching hundreds of thousands of light years in length.

Jean's Instability

The simple idea that areas with large amounts of matter will attract and collect other matter due to gravity.

Lambda-Cold-Dark-Matter (or LCDM, a Big Bang model)

"Lambda Cold Dark Matter" is probably the most well-known and most popular of the several dozen Big Bang / Expansion models. It "assumes conventional local physics, general relativity theory, expansion from a hot big bang with initially small adiabatic gaussian near scale-invariant departures from homogeneity and isotropy, cold dark matter, Einstein's cosmological constant, and negligible space curvature." (courtesy of Princeton's P. James E. Peebles)

This model is based on the remarkable claim that ~ 95% of our Universe's matter and energy is undetected, unobserved or unknown to physics. Neither the conjectured dark matter (~ 23%) or dark energy (~ 72%) has ever been directly observed. Lambda stands for the Cosmological Constant.

Magnetic Monopoles

(No experimental evidence)

The hypothesis that magnetic solids having a single pole exist. Normal magnets have two poles, a North and a South Pole, called a dipole object. A monopole would only have a North pole or a South Pole - but not both.

None have ever been detected.

Magnetism or Magnetostatics

Permanent magnets exhibit magnetism with no electric current flow.

Magnetars

Stars with the most powerful magnetic fields known. Suspected to be extremely dense Neutron stars.

Magnitude

Malmquist Bias

Its similar to trying to establish the mean (average) age of residents, but omitting the ages of the children because they are too small to see.

Mathematics

Beyond basic trigonometry, algebra, coordinate geometry, calculus and orbital mechanics, Cosmology Theorists often use Lorenz Transforms, Riemannian Geometry, Tensor Calculus, Eigen values and vectors, Hamiltonian mechanics, Lagrangian Density, and General Relativity.

While these tools may sound daunting at first, taking each one slowly and with a bit of practice they are not hard to understand and they can be useful. (OK, maybe General Relativity is opaque.)

However, do not confuse mathematics with physical reality; physical reality does not care one bit about mathematics. Similar to how a wild shark doesn't care if you call him Sherman or Megan, mathematics is just a set of labels we use to help us understand how physical reality works.

"A mathemetician is a device for turning coffee into theorums" - Paul Erdos

Matter (confirmed)

Anti-matter

Baryons

Electrons

Hadrons

Leptons

Neutrons

Protons

Quarks

Anti-matter is the same as ordinary matter (electrons, neutrons and protons, and all fundamental particles: quarks and leptons) in every way with one electric exception.

There is nothing fundamentally different about anti-matter (it has gravity, not anti-gravity, just the same as ordinary matter); just like plasma, it is just very rare on Earth's surface. We are familiar with ordinary matter, which is dramatically more common here on Earth. You may experience the rare anti-matter here on Earth when taking a medical PET scan where Positrons are used. Anti-matter is more common above our atmosphere in the Van Allen belts where it occurs naturally.

While it is true that combining a particle and its anti-particle will explode, there is absolutely no evidence that an explosion results when mixing pasta and antipasto ;-)

Baryons - Protons and Neutrons and other subatomic particles made up of 3 quarks governed by the Strong nuclear force.

Bosons - Photons, gluons and other Force carrier "particles."

Dark Matter: Matter which does not emit detectable radiation.

1. Real physical matter - ordinary matter including gas, plasma, liquids and solids such as dust which is not luminous and interacts with gravity, light and other radiation, and

2. The conjectured never observed, highly speculative "missing" matter that does not interact with light or other electromagnetic radiation - making it undetectable. Big Bang needs gigantic amounts of this kind of dark matter.

This idea arose from calculations that appeared to show that galaxy rotation curves were not explainable using Newtonian physics. The original calculations used the virial theorum to estimate that a galaxy had 160 times more matter than was visually observed. Some also advanced the claim that without the gravity of huge amounts of conjectured dark matter a galaxy would fly apart.

However, a new approach and calculations (Gallo and Feng, 2009) show that the original galaxy mass distribution assumptions were incorrect and that galaxy rotation curves are completely consistent with normal astrodynamics. This means galaxy rotation curves are fully compatible with the normal observed matter; that no dark matter is necessary.

Electrons - a negatively charged particle usually found orbiting an atomic nucleus. Composed of 3 quarks; a Lepton.

Fermions - matter

Hadrons - are all particles made up of Quarks - Baryons and Mesons.

Leptons - Electrons, Neutrinos, Positrons, Muons, Tauons are not subject to the strong force, but are affected by gravity and electromagnetic forces.

Mesons - Unstable subatomic particles made up of 1 quark and 1 anti-quark. Interesting, but nearly useless.

Neutrons - a subatomic particle with no net electric charge made up of 1 up quark and two down quarks.

Neutrino - a subatomic particle with a large amount of energy, extremely little mass, but no net electric or strong force charge.

Protons - tons which have discarded their amateur status. (Pro - tons... sorry :-)

A subatomic particle with a net positive charge composed of two up quarks and one down quark.

Quarks - are considered the most fundamental particles. Protons, neutrons and electrons are composed of quarks. Individual quarks have never been observed.

Tetraquarks - Hypothetical Meson composed of 4 valence quarks. Possibly found in 3 different type experiments.

WIMPS - Weakly Interacting Massive Particles. Never observed hypothetical particles intended to solve the missing dark matter problem, that are massive, yet do not interact with normal matter, and are not affected by electromagnetic or strong forces.

Nebulae

A cloud of intergalactic or interstellar gas. The Hubble space telescope has captured some spectacular (though typically color "adjusted") images of some nebulae.

Big Bang Nucleosynthesis / Light Element Isotope Abundances ("BBN")

A set of Big Bang dependent conjectures that almost all of the lightest four element isotopes existing today ( Hydrogen (Deuterium or H-2) and Tritium (H-3), Helium (He-3 and He-4), Lithium (Li-6 and Li-7) and Beryliium (Be-7 and Be-8) ), were created in the first few moments of Big Bang.

This claim is disputed with the hypothesis and mounting evidence that all light element isotopes can be created / converted by normal star processes (stellar nucleosynthesis), and that the BBN idea depends upon the arbitrary initial conditions for a baryon to photon ratio of 6 to 1.

BBN has no meaning outside Big Bang / Expansion models.

Occam's (Ockham's) Razor (Law of Parsimony)

The philosophical guideline (not a scientific law, theory or hypothesis) that if every thing else is roughly equal, the simpler explanation is preferred.

Olber's (or Cheseaux's) Paradox

The claim of a conflict between the apparent darkness of the night sky and the concept of a static, infinite universe. It is claimed to diminish static universe models because an infinite static Universe should radiate light from every sky direction making night bright.

However, we now know that about half the known matter (dust, gas and plasma) is spread outside of galaxies. This makes Olber's proposal that most distant star and galaxy light is absorbed by that matter and re-radiated as non visible (e.g. infrared) radiation - reasonable.

Omega (space curvature criterion)

For those who believe space has an overall curvature (separate from general relativity's space-time curvature), if Omega equals 1 it means space is flat, if greater than 1 "the Universe is closed" (like a sphere), and if less than 1 the Universe is "open" (negatively curved like a saddle !?).

This claim has no meaning outside Big Bang / Expansion models.

Peculiar Velocity

In the context of Big Bang's Expansion conjecture, Peculiar Velocity is any movement of a galaxy towards or away from our sun that is not attributed to Universe expansion or stretching. It is most often used to distinguish an individual galaxy's velocity that is different from its "host" galaxy cluster.

Do not confuse this with Peculiar Motion or Proper Motion

Personality Debate

A non-scientific argument about who asserts something rather than what is claimed, common with "priesthoods." A stunning and dismaying amount of Big Bang "debate," by those who should know better, is "who" based rather than "what" based. Similar to a Technology debate - which ignores principles to focus on the technology. See Logical Fallacies and Dilworth's Hyper-Certainty Principle.

Photons (Light and the rest of the electromagnetic spectrum -- from most powerful to least)

Photon: The smallest unit of electromagnetic energy. They have no electric charge or mass. The following are in order of decreasing energy per photon.

Gamma rays: The most powerful radiation / photons: more energy than visible light, UV or x-rays. Damages DNA and can kill living cells. Most Gamma-rays are absorbed by oxygen in our atmosphere. Emitted from an atomic nucleus.

X-rays: More energy than light or UV. Known to damage DNA. Most X-rays are absorbed by oxygen in our atmosphere.

UltraViolet (UV): More energy than light. Known to damage DNA. Most UV is absorbed by ozone in our atmosphere, the remaining UV that gets through can cause skin cancer.

Visible Light: What we can see with our eyes. Most visible light gets through our atmosphere. Should not damage DNA.

InfraRed waves: Heat that we can feel with our skin. Should not damage DNA (unless your body gets hot enough to catch fire).

Microwaves: Heat also, but each photon has less energy than an InfraRed wave. Most microwaves are absorbed by our atmosphere, though some microwaves get through. (Wavelengths are 1 millimeter to 1 meter)

Radio waves: The least energetic photons, less energy than light or heat. Most radio waves get through our atmosphere. (Wavelengths are longer than one (1) meter)

Photon Echoes

Plasma

All stars are made of plasma, and even the space between stars is filled with plasma. About the only places in the Universe lacking plasma is the thin surface layer of planets with an atmosphere - exactly where we live.

Thin: Plasmas can also be very rarefied. A gas with only 1% of its particles ionized can exhibit high electrical conductivity and other plasma characteristics. These two phenomena together (cold and thin) are conditions common in outer space.

Shapes: Plasmas regularly form non-circular shapes including filaments and sheets.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#Plasma

Priesthood

The deliberate effort to make a subject (e.g. surfing, economics or cosmology) intimidating or complex as opposed to easy, approachable or understandable, implying the "insider" is superior to ordinary mortals. An easy way to recognize a Priesthood is the abundant use of unnecessary jargon or code words (including mathematics) for phenomena easily and more clearly explained with common words.

For example this glossary uses the marvelously obscure (but fun) "Furlongs per Fortnight" to spoof the silliness of the speed of the conjectured "Cosmological Constant" which is given in a similarly obscure, confusing (but gravely serious and possibly doublespeak) unit of measure -- "kilometers per second per megaparsec."

Proper Motion

Do not confuse with Peculiar Velocity, which is specific to Expanding Universe claims.

Quasar (Quasi-stellar Radio source)

Quasars are point-sources of continuous radiation with apparently extremely high redshifts, unusual spectra with a non-thermal spectrum, broad spectral lines and almost no absorption lines. Appearing frequently as blue in color, some 200,000 have been found, most by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Although they emit continuous radiation, their brightness can vary dramatically over a period of weeks.

2. And unlike most other astronomical radiation, Quasars, like Gamma Ray Bursts, show up uniformly in every sky direction - they do not show up in a dense pattern towards the plane or center of our own galaxy.

Extremely Far? -- These two things together suggest there are no close Quasars; that the nearest Quasar is no closer than 1.6 billion light years from us - some 16,000 times our galaxy's diameter. The most distant quasar appears to be 28 billion light years away. Because they appear to exist only at great distances, they are conjectured to have only occurred long ago, at times closer to the conjectured Big Bang.

3. However, a handful of quasars (PHL 1033, TON 202, LB 8956 and LB 8991) show proper motion (meaning they appear to be moving across the sky) which almost irrefutably indicates they are nearby; they must be within our own galaxy.

Conflict Needs Resolution -- Because quasars have such high redshifts indicating colossal distances and proper motion indicating nearness, we are forced to reject either the proper motion experimental evidence or the redshift interpretation. Since proper motion is directly observable evidence and Redshift-distance correlation is only an explanation or an interpretation, the explanation has far less strength than the direct experimental evidence of observable sideways motion. The evidence that quasars are nearby wins, and unfortunately redshift loses. This is a serious problem for Big Bang, and a potential problem for GPS systems using quasars for reference.

Energetic: According to redshift interpretations, if there are apparently no close Quasars, they are highly energetic, apparently the most luminous phenomena in the universe. If they turn out to be closer than Redshift-distance correlation tells us - they are less luminous.

If they are as distant as Redshift-distance correlation tells us -- they are hypothesized as compact regions surrounding the center of massive galaxies, very similar to Active Galaxy Nuclei.

Note: While Gamma Ray Bursts typically last only a few seconds, Quasars radiate continuously, while fluctuating over a period of days to months, making them candidates for measuring distances as standard candles - after their serious redshift problem is solved.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#Quasars

Recession Velocity (or radial velocity)

(Recession Velocity is not the same claim as Universe Expansion.)

Recession Velocity is a three-part hypothesis, an interpretation of Spectral line Redshift claiming that --

ReCombination

The conjecture that CMR "background" was released about 300,000 - 400,000 years after Big Bang. This was when Big Bang energy had cooled to about 3,000 deg. Kelvin and condensed into neutral Hydrogen and Helium atoms. This is closely associated with Surface of last Scattering.

This claim has no meaning outside Big Bang / Expansion models.

Redshift, or Spectral line Redshift ("z")

Redshift occurs when spectral lines of light or other electromagnetic radiation from astrophysical objects (like galaxies) shows up in longer wavelengths than normal (compared to those in a laboratory experiment), apparently resulting in energy loss. It is the primary measuring "stick" used to estimate cosmological distances. Redshift is measured several ways, in several wavelength bands (but surprisingly rarely in the visible light range), has a huge variance that is not widely grasped, and is apparently caused by several independent phenomena.

Blueshift is the reverse - when spectral lines move towards shorter wavelengths apparently meaning an increase in radiation energy. Blueshift has been observed in radiation emitted by stars and galaxies moving towards us.

Importance: The interpretation of Spectral line Redshift as Universe expansion is the primary support for Big Bang models.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#Redshift

Redshift, Binary Star

Several sets of co-orbiting stars called Binary stars, each of which inherently maintain equal mean distances from us, show consistently different redshifts (e.g. Binary HD193567 and several Wolf-Rayet Binaries).

This redshift is clearly a different redshift phenomena from the Universe stretching or expanding conjecture. Incidentally, many stars come in binary pairs or triplets; of our closest 30 star neighbors only 7 lack co-orbiting companions.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#RedshiftBinary

Redshift, Dipole or "Spectral Transfer"

Dipole force is wavelength dependent and can be distinguished from Doppler effect. Ponderomotive force is independent of wavelength and mimics a Dopper effect.

Redshift, Gravitational

The hypothesis with experimental evidence that light loses energy by increasing in wavelength when leaving a strong gravitational field. Oddly, there is apparently no evidence of gravitational redshift from our own sun.

Redshift, Solar Center to Limb

Our Sun's equator and poles (limbs) show consistently different spectral line redshifts even though they are not moving away from us over the course of a year (they inherently maintain equal mean velocities away from us - essentially zero kph or mph). This redshift is not a reddening due to atmospheric absorption, or "Limb Darkening" (a decrease in optical brightness from Center to Limb). Some astrophysicists claim this could be explained by Bremsstrahlung or the Compton effect

This redshift is clearly a different redshift phenomena from the Universe stretching or expanding conjecture.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#RedshiftSun

Redshift, K-effect

Redshift, Companion or Child Galaxy

This phenomena which contradicts the standard redshift explanation is unexplained.

Redshift, Compton Effect

When high energy radiation hits an atom, photons are ejected at a reduced energy and at an angle.

Redshift, Electron Recoil

Lyndon Ashmore's hypothesis that whenever an electron emits a photon - it recoils by a tiny amount - making the resulting photon slightly less energetic than the one that originally hit the electron. As the number of electron interactions adds up the photons eventually lose enough energy that the loss can be detected - making "Tired Light."

ReIonization (of Hydrogen gas)

The conjectured event (at about 100-400 million years after Big Bang) that purportedly dramatically re-heated CMBR so it would not remain colder than its current temperature of about 2.73 deg. Kelvin.

If the conjectured CMBR was allowed to cool uniformly (after being created by ReCombination), it would be too cold (less than 0.1 deg K) compared to current CMR observations. Thus it could not support the CMBR-Big Bang conjecture. So the ReIonization conjecture was designed to warm up Big Bang's conjectured CMR to match the observations.

This claim has no meaning outside Big Bang / Expansion models.

Relativity, Special (or as Einstein preferred "Invariantentheorie" or Invariance Theory)

The generalization of Galileo's relativity principle that there is no absolute condition of rest, and that all uniform motion is relative. It does not incorporate gravity, or relative speeds approaching the speed of light and only applies to local objects moving relative to each other.

Special Relativity was intended to solve the problem (lack of evidence for aether) raised by the 1880s Michelson-Morley experiments that found light going almost exactly the same speed independent of the direction light speed was measured. (Remarkably, even the most recent versions of these experiments have not found zero difference in the speed of light going with Earth's rotation and against it, though the uncertainty bars do include zero.)

The mathematics of special relativity is logically consistent (locally) but there has been "a failure to understand special relativity as a theory of physics." (Lawrence Stephenson, 2000-2010)

Critics point out that laws of physics must apply universally not just locally; and that two particles approaching each other each at speeds of 99 percent of the speed of light (a standard experiment at particle colliders, and adding up to almost twice the speed of light) violate Special Relativity's speed limit.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#RelativitySpecial

Relativity, General

The addition of gravity to Special Relativity so it can apply to any two objects - no matter how far apart. It is also considered a framework for understanding the behavior of space-time. Its equations predict gravitational lensing, gravitational redshift, gravitational waves and perihelion precession.

General Relativity does not require conservation of energy and mass.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#RelativityGen

Science

Science is a way of understanding fascinating natural phenomena so that it can be generalized and predicted at other times and places. It has two parts: A way of testing hypotheses (scientific method), and the body of facts that result from those tests.

No scientific fact is ever 100% certain: Facts established by scientific method are inherently tentative, though the more confirming experiments - the stronger the fact. The strongest facts established by science are probably gravity and electromagnetic forces - even thought we still don't understand them completely.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#Science

Science Fiction

Imagined phenomena or technology without physical experimental evidence, some contradicting a fundamental law of physics, used in novels imbued with technology and space travel. Sometimes found sneaking into mainstream science publications.

Negative Energy, Anti-(or negative)-Mass, multiverses.

Dark matter, dark energy (and its accomplices Quintessence & Phantom energy), cosmological constant (Lambda), inflation, accelerating Universe expansion, magnetic monopoles, curved space, gravity waves, gravitons, strings, axions, "exotic matter," scalar fields, tachyons, worm holes.

Spectral-line Redshift-to-Distance correlation, Spectral line Redshift meaning Universe expansion / stretching, Tired Light, CMR as background, galaxy rotation needing dark matter, accelerating Universe expansion, nucleosynthesis, Olber's Paradox, supernova rise and fall curves. (Essentially every important topic.)

None. Essentially every phenomena in cosmology (not astrophysics) is disputed. Perhaps the only phenomena that is generally agreed to is that Spectral line Redshift can sometimes (not always, e.g. Quasars) be used as a rough distance, not velocity, indicator.

Semmelweis Reflex

This battle led to the emergence of "evidence based medicine." (Though Bloodletting remained in mainstream Medicine until 1923)

Space

2. The abstract concept of volume typically used to geometrically define physical locations and characteristics in three physical dimensions typically Euclidean space. It is used with many coordinate systems, most commonly Cartesian which uses x, y and z. This can easily be considered an Intertial Reference Frame.

Big Bang models are wholly vague about which of these two definitions are used for Expansion conjecture: physical space or abstract space? It makes a difference whether they are referring to a physical volume expanding - or the coordinate system itself.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#Space

Space, Closed

Closed Space is a self-canceling phrase combining two otherwise legitimate ideas which directly contradict each other - with no physical explanation or evidence; an extreme conjecture. It is an excellent example of a violation of the second law of a scientific hypothesis that it may not be "internally inconsistent."

Space, Curved

(No direct experimental evidence)

The conjecture that space has curvature, either positive (emerging from Einstein's General Relativity equations) or negative (that has no claimed basis). Unstated is the necessary implication that if space is curved, it must have an edge. There may be math models, but there is no physical example of a complete negatively-curved object or universe.

This is an example of a mathematics idea that has no evidence of a corresponding physical reality.

Space, Euclidean

The abstract concept of volume described by three physical dimensions. It helps us to understand positions, distances and angles typically by using the Cartesian coordinate system x, y, and z. Together they provide us with coordinate space.

Space-Time

A term for a set of mathematics models which combine time with the three dimensions of volume to simplify some physics models.

Most science experiments separate phenomena to examine them individually. Space-Time and Grand Unification ideas do the opposite - they generalize by combining ideas.

Spectral Lines (Emission and Absorption lines)

Absorption lines are caused by the photons going through gas clouds. If a photon has gone through many neutral Hydrogen gas clouds it has a whole set of adjacent absorption lines called a "Lyman Alpha Forest."

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#Spectralines

Standard Candle (distance measure)

Astronomical objects / phenomena used to measure the largest distances. Cepheid Variable stars, type 1a Supernovas, and even Gamma Ray Bursts have been used as standard candles. Phenomena are only used when they can be shown to have fairly reliable characteristics - independent of distance and age. However, see "Margin of Error."

Superclusters

A concentration of galaxies; large groups of smaller galaxy groups. The Shapley Supercluster is the largest one we recognize situated about 600-650 million light years from us.

Superluminal

Several astrophysical phenomena, including Jets from Blazars, appear to be exceeding light speed, some almost ten times the speed of light. Big Bang's Expansion conjecture admits to exceeding light speed. Separately, Inflation claims to have exceeded the speed of light by many magnitudes. One astrophysicist, who worked on the GPS satellite system, provided evidence and rationale that gravity travels much faster than light.

Supernova Rise and Decay Curves

(Supernova is abbreviated as "SN")

There are three types of Supernovae. Type 1a Supernovas are used for measuring sticks or "Standard Candles." The graph of visible light increase and decrease over the few weeks as a Supernova 1a explodes are curves used to estimate distances at the farthest visible reaches of our Universe. Comparing "close" and distant supernova curves gives us some (wildly conflicting) interpretations of cosmology.

Tired Light or Photon Decay

The idea that Spectral line Redshift is caused by a photon of light / radiation losing energy (wavelengths grow) after traveling for millions to billions of years through space and having experienced millions to trillions of interactions with matter (plasma, gas and dust) along the way.

There is abundant strong experimental evidence that Spectral line Redshift is caused by phenomena other than recession velocity or Universe expansion including: Solar center to limb redshift and Binary stars with differing redshifts.

This is the leading concept undermining galaxy recession, Universe expansion and Big Bang. It was originally proposed by Fritz Zwicky in 1929 and supported by Edwin Hubble.

Uncertainty

There are at least Three Types of Uncertainty ⁽⁵⁾

1. "Phenomena Variability (or Process) Uncertainty" arises from natural variability of the phenomena. e.g. planets do not keep the same orbits.
2. "Measurement or Observational Uncertainty" arises from measurement and sampling errors. For example when you repeatedly measure a building height and compare the data you may get different results. (Phenomena Variability and Measurement Uncertainty are compound errors so must be multiplied to establish their total uncertainty.)
3. "Model Uncertainty" reflects incomplete knowledge. For example ecological processes and galaxy forming processes are so complicated, have so many variables, that no one understands them fully and some variables are simply left out. This means the parameters for computer models are estimated from observed data leaving "estimation uncertainty."

Precision? When distances to distant phenomena were consistent to within 10 percent one cosmologist declared that we are in a new era of "Precision Cosmology." See Uncertainty.

Link directly to this definition -- http://www.CosmologyScience.com/glossary.htm#ErrorMargin

Uncertainty (or Indeterminate) Principle, Heisenberg's

The hypothesis that there is a limit to knowledge or information about a particle's location or speed. Its actually an inverse relationship - the more precisely you can measure one (location or speed) - the less precisely you can know the other.

(This is only coincidentally related to Dilworth's Hyper-Certainty Principle.)

Universe

Everything. All matter, forces, energy, space, and time.

Big Bang Universe = all matter, forces, energy and time within the maximum distance reachable under the 14 billion year time limit of the Big Bang conjecture.

Vacuum / Quantum Fluctuations, Virtual Particles

(No direct experimental evidence)

The conjecture that matter pops into and out of existence (in an untestably short amount of time - less than 10 to the minus 43^rd of a second) without anything converted from or to energy. This violates the fundamental law of physics of energy and mass conservation ("but only for short times").

This conjecture is sometimes wrongly called "Theory of virtual particles" - when it is not a 'theory' or even a hypothesis.

Some interpret Casimir Effect and Lamb Shift as support for this conjecture.

Both Expanding Universe models, Big Bang and Steady-State, claim this effect, Static Universe models do not.

Verification and Falsifiability

Verification means a hypothesis can repeatedly pass a test - under explicit conditions. Verification is not the same as falsifiability. Falsifiability means a claim can fail a test.

Verification is one of the fundamental parts of modern science. Until it is tested and verified, a hypothesis is highly suspect. The origin and reason for a hypothesis is irrelevant or meaningless, the only thing that gives it real value is independent verification.

The next step is Falsifiability. Can the claim be shown to fail a test?

Voids or Bubbles (and Supervoids)

Large volumes of physical space with very few or no luminous galaxies. Voids do contain a significant percent of the universe's gas and dust The largest studied void is about 3.5 billion light years across.

Walls

Walls are Filaments (the largest structures) which are significantly (that's ambiguous) larger along their largest axis than their second largest axis. The largest reported is the "Sloan Great Wall" at about 1.4 Billion light years long.

(1) "Humor" inspired by Tony Darnell at Deep Astronomy.com (He gets the credit, I get the blame.)

(5) "Galactic Rotation Described by a Thin-Disk Gravitational Model Without Dark Matter", C. F. Gallo and James Q. Feng, Journal of Cosmology, April 2010, Vol 6, 1373-1380.

1. Many links provided here are to Wikipedia. (The journal Nature published a comparison of Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica entries and found them to have very similar numbers and gravity of errors. Britannica disputes the methods used.) While no encyclopedia information is perfect, Wikipedia turned into a fairly reliable, and consistent source of cosmology astrophysics information in the 2008-2009 era. Unfortunately it is not yet comprehensive or neutral. It has a strong pro-Big Bang bias which can be observed in many parts, but perhaps most clearly in how there is a "Criticism" section for Steady-State model, but there is no similar "Criticism" section allowed for the Big Bang entry. What is arguably worse, the non-standard cosmology article is almost wholly biased with Big Bang advocacy and the diminishment of alternatives.

David Dilworth is one of only a handful of lifetime members of the organization Committee for Scientific Inquiry (formerly known as CSICOP).

His 2009 paper "Ground Rules for Cosmological Physics" was published by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in the 2008 Cosmology Conference "CCC2" Proceedings.

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