Astronomy could be considered a science that addresses two domains, local (i.e., the solar system) and beyond (i.e., the universe). Of course there is overlap.

Electric Universe

Prior to the 20th Century, physicists assumed gravity ruled the universe. A number of scientists even derived mathematical rules for the relationships between different objects in the solar system so that the orbital motions could be explained. Those theories enabled the 1845 prediction and 1846 discovery of the planet Neptune based on its perturbation of the orbit of Uranus.

These rules apply to any two uncharged bodies. In the 20th Century, other physical forces in the universe became understood. These links provide useful overviews of these forces.

Fundamental forces
Fundamental force

Our current understanding of the universe involves four fundamental forces. In their order of strength (strongest first, weakest last) they are:
1) Strong force
This force holds together the nucleus of an atom.
2) Electro-magnetic force
This force exists between positively and negatively charged bodies. Opposite charges attract while similar charges repel.
3) Weak force
This force explains the interactions of certain subatomic particles.
4) Gravity
This force exists between any two bodies. It is the weakest of the four forces but it was the only force known to physicists prior to the 20th Century.

With the space age of the late 20th Century, astronomers are now able to see the prevalence of electro-magnetic forces in our solar system. However, many astronomers have been slow to address the important role of these significant forces in the long standing theories, based only on gravity, regarding our solar system and the universe.


A few interesting recent articles related to the Electric Universe:

Electric Earthquakes

Voyager 1 at the Edge – of what?

The SUN – Our Variable Star



Big Bang

The Big Bang is a theory regarding the beginning of the universe. This theory is accepted by most astronomers as well as most scientific reporters and so it is emphasized in many astronomical discoveries or in space-related news articles, as if it were an accepted fact rather than just one of several theories about the evolution of the universe.

This link is a useful reference on the Big Bang theory.

In the 20th Century, astronomers discovered that light from distant sources had a shift in their spectrum toward the longer wave lengths, similar to the Doppler effect where the pitch is sound will change based on the source of sound approaching or departing. Since in visible light red is the longest wave length, this observed phenomenon is called a red shift. Since those light sources that seemed the most distant also had larger red shifts, the logical conclusion that followed was that the universe is expanding since everything was moving away. Since distant objects in all directions could be found with large red shifts, this conclusion also suggested that everything is moving away from Earth, making the Earth the center of the universe (again; many years ago people were convinced the Earth was stationary at the center and the Sun and other planets moved around the Earth). The conclusion that all distant objects were moving away meant that looking back into the past implied everything might have left from a common central origin many years ago.

This link is a useful reference on red shifts.

There are alternate theories regarding the physical explanation of red shifts. Though red shifts can be observed in double stars or nearby objects known to be receding from the observer it is not proven that all red shifts are always solely due to recession.

Halton Arp is one astronomer that discovered red shifts cannot always be due to recession. He has written several books on the matter (the one I read is in my list of books) but two notable observations are:

1) the phenomenon is quantized
The red shifts are not distributed in a manner consistent with the random distances in the universe but rather their values are in steps.

2) the phenomenon is related to age
The red shifts are the greatest in the youngest sources and are reduced in the older sources. This finding derives from the observation that objects with significant red shifts are not random in the sky but can be associated with other nearby objects. Those objects closer to their common source have larger red shifts than those farther away, hence the age relationship.

These observations (by Arp and other astronomers) indicate the Big Bang theory (which had tried to explain why all distant objects are moving away from Earth) is based on a misunderstanding of red shifts.

This link is a useful initial reference regarding Halton Arp. He also has his own web site with a number of articles.

A slight shift in spectrum is observed due to the speed at which a nearby object is approaching or receding from the observer (either toward the blue or toward the red). However there is an apparent underlying physical phenomenon such that much larger red shifts can be observed due to another explanation than this directional effect.

A few interesting recent articles regarding these changes in astronomy and the Big Bang:

A Real 'Theory of Everything'

The True State of the Universe

Black holes tear logic apart

The Top 30 Problems with the Big Bang


Useful sites for further reading involving these advances in science begun with the Space Age:

News and Views from the Electric Universe

Electric Universe

Exploring the Electric Universe

Thunderbolts Picture of the Day Archive

Electric Cosmos

Meta Research


My web site lists a number of interesting books on these subjects. I also collected lists of articles in several publications (Pensee, Kronos, Aeon) that sometime address theories about the evolution of our solar system. The catastrophism website enables research into these publications but for a nominal charge.

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created - April 2006
last change - 04/08/2006