Hey Sam5--

You asked earlier in the thread for "commonsense explanations." THen you go on to say that there are no scientific papers discussing the expansion (observed) of the universe. Let's get into a couple of things here.

First, space "expands" but it isn't like blowing up a balloon where you add something. It isn't just a mystery of nature either. The best analogy I can come up with is a rubber band -- you don't add anything to the band when you stretch it, but it is longer. Space, not being made of anything material, behaves in a similar fashion. But this is an analogy, NOT the thing itself.

Originally, Einstein and his colleagues thought the universe was static. But the implications of relativity were for a finite univese. This is quite aside frmo the Olbers' paradox observation, which says that the universe can't be infinite becuase if it was the sky would not be dark. (You would eventually see a star in every direction, and since an infinite universe immplies an infinite age, the light from infinitely far away stars has time to reach you, unless you posit an infinite universe of finite age, but then you run into problems explaining that).

The expansion of space is a function, in part, of all those virtual particles that pop in and out of existence. In one sense, the quantum foam that makes up space is coming from there. But again, that is a very rough way of putting it.

Yes, quantum physics says things that don't jibe with common sense, as does relativity. But they WORK. You are using a computer that would not function AT ALL if quantum tuneling did not happen (there would be no semiconductors, which are essential to any computer smaller than a room). Digital displays work. Redshifts in distant galaxies are observed, and the predicted observations from explanations that do NOT include universal expansion of some kind or other did not work. That is, the prediction (a mark of a real theory) did not test out. Now, it is possible that somethign is going on that we can't observe for whatever reason, but that puts it riht out of the realm of science unless you can come up with an experiment to falsify the theory involved.

So, if the universe was not expanding, one would expect redshifts and blue shifts to be randomly distributed. They aren't.

If the expansion was thought up to save relativity, and just a methematical convenience, one would have to come up with a more compelling explanation. There have been a few, but they too failed to produce confirming observations. (Like theories that require an ether).

If there were no space curvature, then Newton's mechanics would have been perfectly accurate, given the better instruments we have now to test that theory at more extreme conditions than he could. Again, no dice.

It is almost like you have thins thing that all scientists must be fools because the theories they propose and test don't confirm to a world view that is "common sense." Electricity didn't fit that bill either for some people, who philosophically objected to the idea of atoms. Well, Maxwell and atomic theory work. Oh well.

-J