CCosmic Topology: Astonishingly, the most up-to-date
astronomical figures propose that the exact answer could be
a negotiation between afore mentioned (in the earlier
issues) two early perspectives. We can say that the
universe is finite and expanding but it does not have an edge or
boundary. In meticulous, precise maps of the CMBR propose
that we dwell in a finite universe that might be of the
shape just like a football or dodecahedron.(see box –
dodecahedron). Under such a condition, an entity that
travels away from the Earth in a straight line will
eventually return from the other side of the universe. Thus
we can say that space might be acting like ‘a cosmic hall of
mirrors’ by generating numerous images of far-off light
sources, which raises new questions about the aspects of the
early universe. On the other hand, this is just one
possibility and other proposals made by researchers in the
expanding field of cosmic topology comprise tetrahedral and
octahedral spaces, flat doughnuts and an infinite horn-
shaped universe. The first testable calculations about the
size and shape of the universe were completed and proposed
by Einstein in 1916 as an ingredient of his general theory
of relativity. In the theory massive bodies such as stars
transform the shape of space-time around them, much as a
bowling ball would modify the shape of a trampoline. Indeed,
it is this local deformation of space-time that is
responsible for gravity in Einstein's theory. Thus the
average curvature of space depends on the overall
density of
matter and energy in the universe. This density is usually
expressed in terms of the ratio Ω , which is explicated
clearly as the actual density of the universe divided by the
critical density required for space to be flat or Euclidean.