Download The synchronisation of cosmic cycles: a hypothesis

Ryszard Waluś "A Theory of Time: an Introduction" - fragment
CONTENTS
The synchronisation of cosmic cycles: a hypothesis ...............
When did the universe come into existence? ...........................
Time cycles ..............................................................................
What determines the duration of the individual cycles? ..........
What do these numbers signify? ..............................................
Initial questions ........................................................................
The synchronisation of cosmic cycles: a hypothesis
In this document the author puts forward a hypothesis that
individual heavenly bodies in a given group may have cycles which
synchronise over a greater time period so forming a longer cycle which
defines the rhythm of that part of the cosmos.
We will use the solar system as an example in order to gain an
understanding of the topic. Our reference point, that is the place from
which we are observing, will be the earth. We will examine the bodies in
the solar system which are most visible on the celestial sphere, so we
will limit ourselves to the sun, the moon and planets such as Mercury,
Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
So what will be the cycles?
In the case of the moon a cycle will be a revolution around the
earth returning to the starting point fixed against the stars. In other
Ryszard Waluś "A Theory of Time: an Introduction" - fragment
words the cycle would be a sidereal month.
The other moon cycle will be its revolution between successive
full moons, the synodic month.
The movement of the sun on the celestial sphere is a result of
the rotation of the earth. This gives us yet another cycle called the solar
day, i.e. the period between successive solar zeniths.
The stellar day, the revolution of the earth relative to the stars, is
another cycle.
The cycle for each planet will be a revolution of the planet
around the sun.
I have adopted the expression "synchronisation of cosmic
cycles". The cycles described above are the ones I have in mind when I
use the term "cosmic cycle" while referring to the solar system example.
So what does the concept of "synchronisation" entail? Let us imagine
that at a particular point in time we see the specific positions of the
bodies under discussion on the celestial sphere: we are seeing them at a
specific point in each of the cycles listed above. It is a "unique"
arrangement. If at a future time - it might even be millions of years later
- this same "unique" arrangement of the heavenly bodies mentioned
above appears on the celestial sphere, we would call this event the
synchronisation of the cosmic cycles of that group of bodies.
In our example we have considered some of the bodies in our
solar system, but we could investigate other groups of objects and
structures which are linked by gravitational forces, such as galaxy
clusters, galaxies, star clusters, stars etc.
The phenomenon of the synchronisation of cosmic cycles can be
more easily explained by analogy to the synchronisation of clocks which
run at different speeds. At the start point all the "clock hands" in our
clock-like cycles are positioned at "zero" (fig. A). The clock hands all
move at differing speeds as each has a cycle of a different duration; so
after some time has elapsed each clock hand will be pointing to a
different position on the clock face (fig. B). After a specific length of
time has passed, which is a multiple of the full cycle durations of all the
individual clocks, the position of all the clock hands will synchronise at
"zero" on every dial (fig. C).
Ryszard Waluś "A Theory of Time: an Introduction" - fragment
This hypothesis suggests the universe is a system in which there
is an extensively interconnected interdependence between the systems
of objects, between the objects which make up a system etc. The
manifestations of these interactions may include the phenomenon we
have called the "synchronisation of cycles". Every object, every system
of objects is in motion. Examples of this motion might be rotation of a
body about its own axis or orbital revolution around a central point; the
existence of a cycle would show there is recurrence. Recurrence can
relate to the movement of a single object and also to the cycles of
multiple objects within a group.
It is difficult to prove the hypothesis about "synchronisation of
cosmic cycles" by experimental means since the time periods which
would be required for observations are too long. Calculations which
assume the cycles are stable could also be misleading as there may be
slight variations in the cycles. However if we had highly accurate data
about the movement of the bodies and built a mathematical model based
on the data and applied a high level of accuracy and effective
calculation methods, we could get closer to the real solution of this
issue. It will inevitably be an approximation since every mathematical
model is only an approximation to reality. When we are dealing with
long time periods any error in the calculations cumulates. However we
would be able to calculate the probability and conditions for the
existence of the phenomenon of "synchronisation of cosmic cycles".
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