open universe

SEE SYNONYMS FOR open universe ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Astronomy.

a model of the universe in which the universe expands forever because there is not enough mass to counteract the expansion by means of gravitational attraction.

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Compare closed universe.

Origin of open universe

First recorded in 1975–80

Words nearby open universe

open texture, open the door to, open trailer, open tuberculosis, open union, open universe, open university, open up, open verdict, open with, open wound

Scientific definitions for open universe

open universe

Model of the universe in which the curvature of space is flat or curved away from itself, entailing that the size of the universe is infinite. According to this model, gravity between objects is not able to stop or reverse the expansion of the universe, thus objects continue to move farther and farther apart as space moves outward. An object moving in a straight line in an open universe would never return to its starting point. According to current cosmological theories, the universe is open if it is insufficiently dense. Such a universe will never end, but will eventually become very cold and dark because stars gradually lose all of their energy. Compare closed universe. See Note at big bang.

Cultural definitions for open universe

open universe

If there is not enough matter in the universe to exert a strong enough gravitational force to stop the universal expansion associated with the big bang, the universe is said to be open. (Compare closed universe and flat universe.)