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Old 18-May-2008, 11:43 PM
dcl dcl is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2002
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The Big Rip would not require an accelerating expansion rate. It would require only that the expansion continue until distances between galaxies had become so great that gravitation (curvature of space() no longer affected their relative motion (geodesics). There is no need to bring numerical values into the discussion.

Although space between nearby objects such as the sun and earth is expanding, the earth's orbit is presumably remaining its present size because gravitation (local space curvature caused by presence of the sun) holds earth at its present distance. Eventually, as expansion of space becomes effective over distances of the order of distances between objects in the solar system, planetary orbits will begin to expand, resulting in eventual dissolution of the solar system. When local space curvature becomes appreciable over distances of the order of atomic dimensions, then atoms will fall apart as electrons drift away from their nuclei.

Enjoy the present Universe while you can!
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