Dear Martin Brown:

"Martin Brown" wrote in
message ...
N:dlzc D:aol T:com (dlzc) wrote:
....
Let me ask a related question. The CMBRM has been described
as opaque and isothermal. Presumably "opaque" could be
defined as no emissions detectable from beyond a certain place
(watch my terms). So let me ask this question about the
Universe that contains ours... It would be certainly opaque,
since
we cannot see beyond the Big Bang, but would the container
Universe appear isothermal? Rather than the CMBRM being
some intermediate matter state on *this* side of the Big Bang,
could it simply be infalling light?

The observable horizon is moving away from us at the speed of
light. The challenge for cosmology is to explain why our patch
of universe is so isotropic. Alan Guth's inflation is one
possible
solution:

http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level..._contents.html

You need to think more carefully about how absorbtion lines
arise in a continuum spectrum. Energy is always conserved.

Not always is energy conserved in GR, but I understand your
point. I did finally "get it". And my question also provides an
isotropic Universe, since we "infell" from such a Universe.
Perhaps. Cake batter always gets more uniform with each
"folding".

Now I made myself hungry! ;)

Have a good Sunday.

David A. Smith