Does expansion of the universe decelerate orbits of planets and/or rotation of galaxies? [more inside]
posted by knave on Jun 16, 2009 - 11 answers

What are some topics in astronomy or cosmology that you find fascinating and mind blowing? [more inside]
posted by tomcochrane on Jul 3, 2008 - 17 answers

Are there any great lecturers/public speakers in the realms of cosmology, astronomy and physics? [more inside]
posted by dydecker on Jun 4, 2007 - 21 answers

"A human is halfway in size between an atom and the known universe"... This is a paraphrased quote I have come across several times. I like it. Who said it first? How true is it in the most literal sense? And, finally, what errors arrive in postulating a universe, or an atom, which can be measured AT ALL from our singular, relativistic, perspective? [more inside]
posted by 0bvious on Feb 18, 2007 - 14 answers

Can you help a reasonably smart layperson (who is not very good at math) understand how the word "information" is used in physics? [more inside]
posted by grumblebee on Feb 15, 2007 - 35 answers

Can anyone recommend any good recent articles or papers on whether the universe is infinite or finite? I've heard that scientists suspect that the universe is flat, which lends credence to the infinite-universe hypothesis. I've decided I don't know enough about this. Nothing too technical, please, though I'd prefer something more complex than an article from a newspaper science section.
posted by painquale on Jan 12, 2005 - 20 answers