At first blush, it appears that there was a single initiation of the big bang, which is commonly considered to be a pointin space.
Unfortunately, that is a common misconception. According to string theory, the “big bang” is simply the expansion of three “curled up” dimensions along a fourth. All points of our space were existent in the immensely hot mote that existed thirteen and some fraction billion years ago.
All the space we inhabit existed at that epoch, as it does now: It has only inflated since then.
We have found no evidence of a substrate that our universe expanded “into”, just that the dimensions of our universe became “bigger” from our point of view.
The bulk, from our perspective is just a potentiality, not an actual space. There may be other universes, but they are not ours.
Fred Hoyle found that the residual microwave radiation was more or less evenly distributed from our vantage. It is likely that it will also appear just that way from UDFy-38135539, the most distant galaxy observed from earth. Unfortunately, if the folks in UDFy-38135539 wanted to tell us, we would have to wait 13 billion years for the answer.

It seems to me that your comments on the Michelson-Morely experiment do not really address St Thomas argument. While the MM experiment was indeed fundamental in establishing the lack of any required media through which EM waves must expand, this does not preclude that there is motion and that motion is actualized from potential motion only. Further, if the Standard Model is accepted (and if I understand just the most basic idea) we now do have a reference point to which all motion can be related. Not only a place but also a time. Well done Fred Hoyle.

Bill

http://www.theartiquegallery.com/servlet/the-65/The-Wave-of-the/Detail

I’m not associated with them other than as a customer but I figured that since those who were looking for this poster, like me, would be very interested in finding out that it may well still be available.

I would argue that the same should apply to measurements of time. The two observers who are 6km apart, would not argue about the time of the lightning strike if their measurements were limited to tenths, or even hundreths of a second. That would be our apple. Much smaller than that, and the rules change, just like Newtonian physics. Measuring microseconds changes the guidelines to which you must measure. By allowing such small measurements, you MUST consider relativistic effects, because they become part of the equation.

While your argument is thought provoking, your final paragraph seems forced, by looking at non-Newtonian measurements through a Newtonian looking glass.

What I am struggling with, is the planetary observations. The measurements are well outside the realm of non-Newtonian measurements, the relativistic effects are still relevant. This then discounts my statement about relatively small measurments. I’ll have get back to you on that one…

My granddaughter Kathryn just painted The Great Wave of Cowabunga. Apparently all the third grades in the school system joined in painting their offerings of The Great Wave