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So are we in fact at or near the center? Well, if we were not, then the distribution of luminous matter in the universe would be uneven. In fact, the galaxies that surround us turn out to have an isotropic distribution, in multiple concentric rings ''centered on or near the earth''.

So are we in fact at or near the center? Well, if we were not, then the distribution of luminous matter in the universe would be uneven. In fact, the galaxies that surround us turn out to have an isotropic distribution, in multiple concentric rings ''centered on or near the earth''.

If the expansion were still ongoing at the tremendous rate with which it began, then we ought to detect blueshifting where we are. We do not. However, [[Pioneer 10]] and [[Pioneer 11]] recently demonstrated an anomaly in their two-way communication with earth: basically they appeared not to have traveled as far away as they should have. But what might have happened instead is that they had entered a region of the cosmos showing the last lingering effects of the earlier expansion. This manifested itself in a very slight time dilation of our clocks in relation to the Pioneer vessels' clocks. Thus the radio communications had a longer time to travel than we were able to perceive.

If the expansion were still ongoing at the tremendous rate with which it began, then we ought to detect blueshifting where we are. We do not. However, [[Pioneer 10]] and [[Pioneer 11]] recently demonstrated an anomaly in their two-way communication with earth: basically they appeared not to have traveled as far away as they should have. But what might have happened instead is that they had entered a region of the cosmos showing the last lingering effects of the earlier expansion. This manifested itself in a very slight time dilation of our clocks in relation to the Pioneer vessels' clocks. Thus the radio communications had a longer time to travel than we were able to perceive. In 2012, a team of NASA scientists concluded that the way in which the spacecraft radiate heat led to a measurement disparity, thus resolving the issue. <ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/24/science/mystery-tug-on-pioneer-10-and-11-probes-is-einsteins-i-told-you-so.html?_r=1&gwh=959AD24780248900B90371733BD9C1C3&gwt=pay& "Mystery Tug on Spacecraft Is Einstein’s ‘I Told You So'," Dennis Overbye, ''New York Times'', 23 July 2012.]</ref>

== References ==

== References ==

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