Big Bang to Big Sponge

When a catalyzed liquid is expanding to an open-celled sponge, it appears as a miniature piece of the dynamic large-scale structure of the universe (see image). The voids of the material are basically spherical. As the voids expand they press the material aspect into sheets and filaments, simultaneously displaying repulsive and attractive effects. The repulsive effects are in the voids, and the attractive effects appear to be at the material. The material is compressed by almost adjacent expanding voids. This sponge example might mirror what is occurring in the large-scale structure of the universe. The expanding gas bubbles of the sponge might represent the cosmological constant and/or quantum vacuum energy, and/or other agent (see below) possibly causing accelerated universal expansion, and the sheets and filaments of the sponge material might represent galactic superclusters apparently being compressed into the observed astronomical sheets and filaments. The expansion of space does not occur as is so often illustrated, where all dots painted on the surface of an inflating balloon move away from one another. If this was the case, clusters of galaxies (and all below this level) would not remain stable. Such clusters are fundamental astronomical units. The expansion of space according to the Hubble law occurs above this level. In order to properly use the "raisins in a loaf cake" analogy, the raisins must represent clusters of galaxies; it is above this level that universal expansion is apparent (and at and below this level where attractive gravity is apparent). Note the complementarity of the loaf cake and sponge analogies now, but with the addition of a possible reason gravity only appears attractive below superclusters -- the "yeast" is primarily in the loaf, and only marginally in the raisins, stabilizing the raisins. Again, this suggests the possibility of a repulsive gravity in place of the active expanding agent, in that viewpoint becomes key. From the viewpoint below superclusters, gravity might only appear attractive. At the large-scale level of large space voids surrounded by galactic superclusters where expansion is most apparent, gravity might be fundamentally repulsive. This has been introduction to a formal study.** ______ *Formerly "Generalizing Newtonian gravity" **Generalizing Newtonian gravity with accelerated expanding space, in unifyingphysics.net