Hi All

An assumption of the modern big bang theory is that if the Universe is flat or hyperbolic then it's probably infinite - though this is merely a mathematical assumption without any justification. What does cosmology of a finite Universe look like?

Finite Cosmology

...the article discusses a "dust ball" cosmos - i.e. pressure forces are weak - and discusses its minimum size and mass for various assumed locations for the solar system. If we're at the very centre then the cosmic ball is merely 160 Gly wide or so. Beyond the "dustball" the void eventually becomes like a de Sitter cosmos and overall the system is like a black hole - though not identical. The Universe isn't a black hole because it's expanding from an initial singularity, not future focussed on it.

Anyway it's an idea that's not dead and an antidote for discussions of infinite copies of ourselves spread through infinite space.

Adam