Natural Systems Theory

by Hugh M. Lewis

http://www.lewismicropublishing.com/

Chapter Eight

Gravitational Systems

Gravitation remains a profound mystery of the universe, in spite of the fact that its effects universally constrain us in all that we do, in terms of kinetic motion, in the world. Its relative weakness at close range, its cumulative power at vast distances, as well as its pervasiveness, and its fundamental unobservability, make it difficult to explain, and its mysteriousness remains resistant to facile explanation in terms of a clear unified field theory incorporating the four known forms of fundamental energy.

From a systems perspective, gravitation as a range of phenomena becomes interesting for several reasons. Gravitational systems, like Galaxies and Solar Systems, appear to become "unified" and to function in a larger context as a single integrated body of mass, even if it is a multi-body system. This integration has clearly a dynamic equilibrium when we consider the various orbital trajectories of the bodies included in such a system, and a certain sense of equifinality when we consider the long term stability of the orbital trajectories of many of the satellite systems collected together. How a multi-body system can stochastically self-organize, and function in space-time as a single system in some larger mechanical frame of reference, has yet to be fully explained. Such systems indeed seem to be truly stochastic and chaotic and truly self-organizing in a manner suggesting spontaneous change of direction and motion, if we did not understand underlying principles.

Gravitational systems are interesting upon another level as well, and this has to do with what can be referred to as the metasystems context for all gravitational phenomena, and for what might be referred to as universal gravitation. It appears as if there is no where we can go in the universe in which we are free completely of the influences of gravitational energy, and where and when we are in a gravity-less system, this can only be accounted for in a relative sense by the mutual counteraction and cancellation of several converging gravitational forces upon the same region of space-time.

Gravitation appears to be a negative counterforce intrinsically and automatically connected to all matter and the motion of all bodies of matter in the universe. That we can find no body of matter in the universe that is completely without any motion whatsoever, nor that can be said to be totally free of any other gravitational influence than its own self-gravity, suggests that there is something fundamental about how gravity and gravitational energy work in the universe.

Furthermore, we might proffer certain principles of a hypothetical paradigm that might be called gravitational dynamics, which, like thermodynamics, enunciate certain inviolable and presumably universal principles regarding gravitating bodies and gravitational-mechanical behavior. For instance, it appears that all bodies of matter continuously produce gravitational energy from a common center-point and the consequences of gravity upon the body may be said to induce continuous increasing pressures and even heat energy.

Upon a fundamental level, the problem of gravitational energy has so far resisted "unification" within a single field theory. It remains a mysterious and fundamentally unaccounted kind of energy.

Explaining and understanding the problem of gravitation and gravity from a systems perspective is basic to our understanding the structure and dynamics of physical reality, in both the smallest and the very largest of structures. It appears that we cannot systematically account for gravitational phenomena or energy without also simultaneously accounting for the relativistic structure of space-time, and how bodies of matter act and interact in space-time.

Macro-Scale Physical Systems

Stochastic Solutions of Inertial Systems in Complex Gravitational Frames

If we are to understand the organizing principles of the universe, we must seek to understand the structural interaction of gravitational currents and tides of space-time, on the one hand, that appears to be to be very slowly building a universe amazingly organized, and counter-active stochastic processes of random motion, collision and explosion that serves to rend matter violently and to scatter this matter to the furthest corners of the universe.

Furthermore, and more a propos to the purpose of our introduction, is to explain how this randomly distributed matter, in pieces extremely small to very large, launched vast distances, accelerated to vast speeds, across the far-flung universe, can eventually become organized through otherwise random and stochastic process into highly deterministic and long-lived and extremely stable complex gravity systems, like our own solar system or like any of the smaller planetery-lunar systems that are a part of the larger solar system.

Focal axii of mutual gravitational rotation may be convergent, divergent or stable--the relative sizes and speeds of travel of the mutual gravitational bodies. Orbits may be gradually degenerate--most orbits are, in the structure of the long run, evolving or developmental in one direction or another. Focii points can be expected to drift, and the number of focii points determining the orbital trajectories of multiple mutual gravitational bodies would determine the net results of the emergent system.

We can imagine a graphic space, in which more massive objects sit on lower levels, --objects are arranged according to their mass. The greater mass object is located lower down.

In other words, the universe has been shaped by the principles of gravitational dynamics, that, in the structure of the large and the long run, all things tend towards gravitational equilibrium with their environment. The paradox of this equilibrium is that it is far different from the thermodynamic equilibrium we are used to thinking about, because with gravitational systems, instead of there being an inexorable trend towards increasly disordered systems, there is instead a long term and stochastically inevitable trend towards increasingly ordered and organized systems, a trend randomly punctuated by violent events, chance occurring, which alters the shape and trajectory of such systems.

The hypothesis of a cold-fusion universe, of a universe that was at one time relatively vacant, runs upon the horns of a dilemma in explaining the simultaneous origin of energy and matter in the universe as we understand these phenomena universal today. It is a kind of hen or egg dilemma--we can explain the production of new matter from energy, to use Einstein's famous principle of equivalence. We can explain the production of energy from matter. But we cannot so easily or simply explain the production of new matter from an energiless environment nor can we explain the production of new energy from a matterless environment. If the original universe was an empty-state universe, it was so only from the standpoint of our current configuration.

If this is the case, then we can speculate that the universe is running towards increasingly dense and matter-based states. We need to understand that the original universe, perhaps devoid of matter or energy as we know these things now, was not devoid of space-time nor of the basic energy composing space-time. What we need to explain is how this space-time may have become spontaneously dynamic over time, and how this sense of dynamism must have increased upon itself, until matter and energy was produced in cosmically prodigious quantities. It is possible, indeed likely, that the very processes that created the first matter and energy long long ago are still occurring and still producing new matter and energy, even if we have not yet noticed where or how this is exactly done. We can speculate that there has been a gradual accumulation of both free energy and new matter over time, and that the rate of this accumulation may have increased with the advent of hypothetical secondary pathways of such production.

We might speculate further that the very structure of space-time and its composite substance and energy may have been gradually changing over the very long run.

I hypothesize the presence of gravitational vortices in the depths of inter-gallactic space-time, and that these gravitational vortices become "white sources" the regions where new hydrogen gas and light are produced. These vortices may in fact be fairly stable configurations, and they may form the perimeter around which new galaxies coalesce and take shape.

The paradigm of gravitational dynamics is founded upon the observation that gravitation is universal and that it demonstrates effects via gravitating bodies that are contrary to our conventional conception of energy systems based upon thermodynamics. In short, gravitational systems demonstrate characteristics, like perpetual motion and energy production systems from seeming nothing that defy our normal expectations of the requirements of work and the limitations of thermodynamic efficiency. It is a case of readjustment not just of how we see, but of what we see, for the effects of gravitational dynamics on large gravitating bodies like the sun and our own earth have been with us constantly and always, beneath our feet and over our heads, so to speak. The continuous heat energy produced in the core of the earth occurs primarily as the result of the tremendous gravitational pressures exerted by space-time upon the earth--the continuous heat and solar wind, to 11 percent of its own mass per year, produced by the sun is again only explanable if we see that space-time is consumed, and in an equivalent sense, transformed into new mass and energy that is then thermodynamically lost from the sun. The fact that the sun and earth continue to do these things for 10 billion years, at least, points to the tremendous stability of these gravitational systems.

1. Inertial systems are the product of unified atomic mass systems in gravitational interrelationship with one another.

2. A gravitational origin or source is defined as a point or set of points in space-time that is the consequence of the mutual gravitational fields of multiple objects of mass in relation to one another. It is a a complex caculus describing one or more centres of gravitational attraction around which the inertial frames of reference of motional bodies are mutually oriented in space-time.

3. Gravitational trajectories of mass objects decribe non-linear control functions that may in general be one of the following types: unstable divergent; unstable convergent; stable periods with multiple points of origing; stable single-origin point periods.

4. Gravity in space-time is the equivalent of current or tidal flow (in this case of spime or the fluid of space-time) in fluid-dynamic systems.

            a. In any one system, though any number of remote gravitational origins may impinge upon a motional frame of reference, this is only one dominant gravitational source, which is generally the product of the complex interaction of multiple differential sources of varying distances and field strengths.

5. All motion and change in the universe is ultimately undirected and undetermined, and in the long run, is subject to random variation due to outside gravitational influences impinging upon the trajectory of a unified mass body.

6. There is a long term tendency of complex gravitational metasystems involving mutual unstable relationships between multiple unified bodies of mass to become reduced to the minimal inertial frame of reference--to achieve long term stability, or what can be defined as a state of relative maximal inertial stability for a complex system.

Inertia is the motional equivalent of mass--and mass is the fundamental determinant of gravitation action and reaction. The stable trajectories of the planets and moons in their orbits is a function of their gravitational inertia within a complex space-time topography that is itself dynamic and changing. The motional inertia of space, of direction and velocity, is a function of the gravitational calculus of an object in its space-time context.

A body's gravitational inertia can be described as a kind of solution to a complext problem of gravitational interrelationship between mass bodies of different sizes and field strengths. Such a solution in general allows the simplest pattern of motion, along lines of least resistance to change, for a gravitational body in relation to one or more alternative gravitational bodies that are simultaneously co-occurring.

We can understand this as a stable relationship between an object of unified atomic mass, on one hand, and its structural physical environment, of which changing motion and direction are intrinsic parts, one that is stable enough to endure perpetually. Two body systems follow Keplerian laws of elipitical motion.

The universe overall appears gravitationally unintegrated, but larger and larger regions are appearing to become increasinglyorganized and integrated over vast distances.

All unified objects of matter in the universe are in motion--gravitationally unified systems are in common motion in a single gravitational frame of reference. Any object may be part of any number of gravitational frame of references, with independent motion exhibited in each of the frames of reference.

Gravitationally unified multibody systems share the same inertial frame of refrence in a larger-scale gravitational framework, dependent upon the relationship of the dominant body or set of bodies in the larger framework.

The most stable multi-body systems would be binary systems that are approximately of equal size and density. Systems based upon unequal size bodies would in the long run be gradually unstable, tending in the long run toward retrograde trajectories.

We may speak of the gradual convergence of multiple Keplerian points of focii in a complex system to a near circular orbit, and then the crossing of the points in the opposite direction, indicating the retrograde orbit of the lesser satellite in relation ot the dominant center of gravity--the center of gravity would shift increasingly toward the dominant object.

1. There is no object of mass in the universe that is not in motion--most occur in multiple motions, the vectors of which are determined by the gravitational frames of reference.

2. There is no object of mass in the universe that is not subject to a gravitational frame of reference.

3. Changing gravitational frames of reference on an object will result in increasing momentum and hence acceleration and direction of an object.

Gravitational Systems as Dynamic Frameworks

The model is proffered herein to explain gravity and gravitational attraction as the differential flow of spime from regions of relative low to high density, and the differential rates of spime replacement found in dense mass objects--the flow of spime into these regions produces the effect of gravity, and it results in a distortion of the space-time field affection the direction and rate of motion of objects. The form of radiant energy conventionally ascribed as "gravitational energy" is regarded instead as a facet of "counter-energy" that is intrinsic to the structure of space-time and the dynamics of spime that flows through space-time. The differential flow of spime through an uneven space-time gradient is held as an alternative and sufficient explanation for gravitational attraction and the gravitational forces that are exerted upon objects at long range.

Gravitation therefore is not an energy per se, but a process of the isotropic flow of space-time in a given direction. If forms of radiant energy are associated with gravitational attraction, these forms of energy may be that of heat and even nuclear radiation induced by strong gravitational pressures, and possibly another, alternative form of energy that I refer to as quintessence, which can be regarded as a truly elemental form of energy the properties of which are neither attractive nor repulsive, but that may be redistributive in nature and outcome.

Objects of mass arrange themselves, or self-organize, in relation to one another when and if they are within range gravitationally. Though relatively "weak" and low density compared to light or other forms of energy, gravitation appears to still be an effective influence on objects over very long distances. The self-organization of gravitational systems in space may take complex and variable forms, and an emerging picture of our own solar system provides us with something of a prototypical multi-body gravitational system that is organized around a single large gravitational body, i.e. the sun. I have previously advanced a system of classification of gravitational systems:

1. First Order Gravitational Systems consist of a single central gravitational body, like our earth, and any objects that may be pulled into unification with it through graviational attraction, like meteors.

2. Second Order Gravitational Systems consist of a single main gravitational body and one or more secondary gravitational bodies that are on some kind of stable orbital trajectory with the dominant gravitator. Such systems generally follow the laws of Johannes Kepler.

3. A Third Order Gravitational System consists of a more complex multi-body system in which there are two or more central gravitational bodies and any number of sub-gravitational bodies around these central ones.

4. A Fourth Order Gravitational System consists of a multi-body system in which there may be more than on gravitational focus, or in which there may be no central gravitational focus.

All significantly sized gravitating bodies are by definition first order systems--most are at least part of second order systems, and most are also part of either third or fourth order systems as well. This brings out the point that gravitational systems tend to be nested within one another, and that most gravitating bodies are part of several systems simultaneously, albeit upon different levels of organization. This point also demonstrates another interesting aspect of gravitational systems, and that is that gravitational systems tend toward unification in the structure of the large and the long run, and seek in the long run the most stable or optimal gravitational solution. Gravitational systems are relative to the gravitational frame that they occur upon, and these frames may be nested within multiple larger scale frameworks.

A framework of gravitational dynamics, complementary and parallel to the paradigm of thermodynamics, is held to govern mass-based relationships in space-time. Within this framework of gravitational dynamics we can contemplate what are essentially perpetual motion machines and the increase in work without the additional increase in energy, if we see that gravitational systems in many ways have the opposite effects of thermodynamic systems.

Take the earth as an example. It is an endless source of gravitational energy, and if a metereor should fall to the earth each day, the cumulative energy of impact and the added mass would only result in the net increase of gravitational energy. As long as the earth remains, it will continue to "generate" gravitational energy. Heat pressures beneath the earth's crust, and in the core, are a direct result of the pressure caused by gravitation, and the heat produced is probably transformed from spime that is replace by the atoms of compounds in the core. Thus, for billions of years the earth, like the sun and all other large gravitational bodies, generates an endless stream of heat energy as a consequence of its continuous gravity.

These rules are:

1. The law of gravitational equilibrium--all else being equal gravitating bodies in free-space will tend to achieve the most optimal stable trajectory in relation to one another.

2. The law of conservation of mass and momentum. Mass is the measure of relative gravitatioanl displacement of an object of matter.

3. Gravitational equilibrium in a system can never decrease without work being doing in the form of counter-force acceleration.

4. Absolute Rest is a state of motionlessness in space-time--this state can never be achieved but only approximated. In other words, all mass-bearing bodies of matter in the universe are in motion.

In other words, we might summarize gravitational dynamics of gravitating bodies by claiming that in the strucutre of the long and the large, gravitational systems are always self-organizing and ultimately seek what can be referred to as optimal or relative gravitational unification. Gravitational unification can be understood as the most simplest motional solution to one or more bodies in gravitational relationship with one another.

It follows that the only way in which we can explain the continuous loss of gravitational energy from a gravitating body without entropy and without energy inputs is if this energy is not really lost, but continually replaced or displaced by some unknwon means, namely the continuous inflow of spime and the replacement of the energy of atomic systems on a steady basis by negative energy derived from the conversion of spime. In other words, gravitating bodies are eating up space-time on a regular and continuous basis, causing the inflow of space-time into the gravitating body, and releasing this energy as heat, and, in the case of solar sized stars, as new nucleonic mass that is created from intense heat and high pressures.

The sun throws off a substantial percentage of its own stellar mass every earth-year, and yet it continues to do so without loss of mass over billions of years. This mass must be replaced by some mysterious mechanism, which is spime-gravitational replacement, and the sun as a system exists in equilibrium with itself.

In other words, we can understand the dynamics of gravitational systems not by resorting to the laws of thermodynamics, but to the complementary and in many ways contrary principles of gravittional dynamics, and to the understanding of gravitation as the consequence of the differential flow of space-time and the continuous replacement of space-time in mass-based objects by more space-time.

This is true if we assume that space-time is non-empty and contains negative mass or what could be referred to as dark mass, and it is true if the energy contained in this dark mass is fundamentally equivalent to light energy or matter. In other words, we are according to this theory able to assume a fundamental isomorphism of identity between spime, or the substance of space-time, and matter and energy as we know these things to be.

To summarize, we may say that gravitational systems consist in general of one or more gravitating bodies of matter that are gravitationally unified, at least in a relative sense, within a common gravitational frame of reference.

Self Organization through Gravitational Unification

Gravitation systems, like our solar system or any other solar system, or like a planet-satellite system, or like more complex galactic or star cluster systems, achieve unification through underdetermined principles of stochastic self-organization. These principles deal with the gravitational interactions between bodies of unequal mass and density and the motional-mechanical patterns that occur between them. Such systems are truly self organizing in the sense that a paradigm of gravitational dynamics predicts that such systems in the long run will go to increasing stability and order, depending upon the relative sizes and masses of objects, and that highly erratic trajectories of smaller objects will either collide or be expelled permanently from the system. Such systems, in the structure of the long run, not only run toward more stable long term trajectories, but they also clean themselves up and regularly clean their space-time manifolds of debris fields.

A unified gravitational system is one that is oriented around one or more dominant centers of gravity, in which all motions of gravitating bodies within the system conforms ultimately to the center or centers of gravity, and the system as a whole responds as a single system to within larger gravitational frames of reference.

Gravitational Unification and Unified Gravitational Systems

Exactly how a system becomes gravitationally unified, in that multiple bodies within the system respond as a single whole in larger gravitational frames of reference, can only be understood in terms of the local gravitational manifold defined by the strongest gravitators locally, take precedence over and above the more remote gravitators. We must try to see gravitational energy as an inverted well system of negative energy. Local gravity always predominates locally, but cannot compete long-distance with remote gravitational sources that are much more powerful but weaker due to their remoteness and distance.

In some as yet unexplained manner, gravitational energy appears to contort and shape the space-time manifold within the Hill Sphere of gravitational bodies in a manner that anything within this sphere is automatically, indeed, instantaneously, dominated by the most local and powerful source of gravitation. In the case of the tidal influences of the Sun and the Moon on earth's major bodies of water, it is difficult to interpret whether the gravitational effects of these two gravitators is direct, or indirect in terms of automatically weakening or cancelling the much stronger local gravitational pull of the earth.

It appears that gravitational energy from alternate sources will in a field differentially counter-act and nullify one another. It is known in three-body gravitational problems that there are predictable points of stability at which the gravitation of the three bodies serves to cancel one another out.

We might venture a couple of hypothetical principles:

1. In any given instantaneous location in four-space, there will usually be a single gravitational source from a discrete direction that will be dominant.

2. In the case where all distant gravitational sources exactly cancel one another out at a given instantaneous location, that point in four-space can be said to be relatively gravity-less. In other words, there would be at that point no preferred gravitational direction or orientation of space-time.

We can venture a couple of more hypothetical principles. If inertia is the intrinsic mass of an object that gravitation must overcome to result in a change in motion, then any gravitating body of a certain mass will only respond gravitationally to a source of gravitation that is strong enough to overcome its intrinsic instantaneous inertia.

This leads us to a kind of paradox. Distant sources of gravitation, though very powerful, are locally too weak to influence or overcome the gravitational patterns of local gravitating bodies. But it is this same remote source of gravitation that affects in a dominant manner the overall unified system of gravitation including all the local gravitating bodies.

We can speculate that there is a remote zone in space-time, beyond the Hill Sphere of the unified system as a whole, in which the distant source of gravitation becomes more powerful and dominant over the all the local sources combined, which may be due to the mutual cancellation of local gravitational effects by multiple bodies in a stabilized system. The inertial effects of the individual local gravitating bodies would be neutralized in the system as a whole, rendering the entire system subject to the remote and weaker gravitational effects.

It is possible to see this phenomenon, if it is interpreted correctly, in even very large and only partially or weakly unified gravitational systems, for instance in galactic clusters.

In other words, in multi-body systems, local unification nullifies and cancels the inertial effects of the included bodies, making the system as a whole subject to weaker and more remote gravitational influences.

One way of possibly interpreting this is to see that within a unified system, the individual inertial effects of the gravitating bodies, however large, are mutually cancelled by the fact of unification, and as a consequence the system as a whole responds, within its complex space-time manifold, to a weaker and distant source of gravitation.

If this phenomenon has anything to do with the flow of space-time, then we can say that space-time flows in a single direction at one time, instantaneous, based upon the dominant gravitational source at that instantaneous point. But space-time flow can change fluidly and dynamically at boundaries where gravitational dominance switches. At this boundaries, counter-gravitational influences serve to cancel one another out, with the result of having a relatively gravity-less system. The boundaries appear to be continuous differential zones, or pockets in multi-body systems, within which all local gravitation influences are cancelled.

We can speculate that any anti-gravity system would have to be able to produce local gravitational counter-effects strong enough to cancel out dominant local gravitation. Essentially, blasting a rocket into space from the surface of the earth accomplishes this task by means of Newton's third law. We can say possibly that the rocket rises into space not from the direct consequences of the thrust of its burning fuel, but from the counterforce of the neutralization of gravity produced by this thrust at the top or nose of the rocket. A tiny black hole, or even a tadbit of neutron star, if it could be kept and contained and thus controlled, would be enough to induce an anti-gravitational frame great enough to lift very large objects into space.

It would seem then that gravitational fields in space, that exist between multiple gravitating bodies at different distances and traveling in different directions relative to one another, would produce complex currents and eddies of flow of space-time, if indeed space-time might be said to flow. At some distance from a unified system as a whole, the center of gravitation becomes the dominant reference point, and the field as a whole becomes weak enough to be canceled by the gravitational counterforces of distant gravitational sources. The system as a whole lacks the combined inertial effects of the mass bodies it contains, these being cancelled out by the fact of unification.

It stands to reason that very remote sources, that are locally very weak, can in the structure of the large and the long run predominate over an entire unified system, say the size of our Milky Way Galaxy. The motion of the unified system as a whole would thus be subtly influenced in direction and possibly in terms of acceleration.

A unified gravitational system responds as a single gravitating body to distant gravitational countersources.

A unified gravitational system has a complex space-time manifold and variegated Hill Sphere, and a center of gravitation that may oscillate or gyrate about a common origin.

A unified gravitational system is inertially neutralized such that it responds to distant weaker sources of gravitation as a whole, the motions of its component objects being irrelevant to the motion of the whole, which is the isotrope flow of its entire contained space-time manifold in a preferred direction.

There will be a complex zone or series of zones around a unified gravitational system in which rogue black bodies will accumulate because of the relative gravity-less conditions in these zones.

To extend our model to embrace larger regions of space-time, we may assert that on average, because there are multiple, myriad gravitational sources from unified systems, much of interstellar space consists of relatively broad and multiple zones that are relatively gravity-less and within which rogue entities collect randomly. These can include clouds of hydrogen-helium nuclei or gases. Within these zones and collections there will occur a more or less even distribution of similar sized objects, none of which is dominant, which seem to drift in relation to one another, but which also may move as a group within the zone if the zone is part of a larger unified system.

It is possible that the chance encounter or alignment of such evenly distributed objects of mass will induce a locally dominant center of gravitation large enough to induce spontaneous aggregation and unification of a local region. This may well be how new stars and new solar systems become formed.

We must inquire whether the banding structures around the gas-giants, especially Saturn, may not be the result of the creation of such zones, either by the relative alignment of the major or minor moons in relation to the main planet, and possibly, the existence of such a zone of counter-gravitational neutralization occurring along the plane of the ecliptic.

Just as we can speak about spontaneous self-organization of a unified, multi-body system of gravitation, we can also speak of the spontaneous acceleration of a unified gravitational body or multi-body system in a preferred direction of remote gravitation, or alternatively of the spontaneous change of direction of motion of such a system. What we call "spontaneous" refers somewhat tautologically to any self-organizing system. What we must emphasize is that with gravitational systems this self-organization is based upon principles of differential gravitation and possibly, differential flow of the space-time manifold. Self-organization may be completely stochastic and unpredetermined except by the influence of such principles. In other words, what appears "spontaneous" in terms of organization, acceleration or change of direction is in fact an automatic and instantaneous reaction or consequences to the operation of these physical principles.

In the structure of the universe in the large and the long run, we can state that there is a relatively uniform, even distribution of gravitationally unified systems with no overall preferred or dominant system of gravitation. We would expect a random assortment of galaxies and clusters of galaxies in the vastness of space, in keeping with the Cosmological Principle. We might expect a reticulated structure in the large and the long run, which is what we seem to be seeing within the entire observational sphere of the Universe, as a consequence of local clustering and local gravitational effects affecting the overall random and relatively even distribution.

In a sense, large scale vindication of the Cosmological Principle suggests a universe that is infinite and probably therefore eternal. In other words, there could be no gravitational unification of an infinite system, however old that system may be. The further afield we observe a more or less random and relatively even distribution of galaxies, the more we support an hypothesis of an open-state, infinite system. We also do not observe a universe that has distinct regional boundaries--its structure and composition does not appear to change drastically over the large and long run. Of course, we are perhaps permanently vexed by the structure of space-time. We can see back to a vast universe billions of years ago, already spread out by billions of light-years breadth, but we cannot ever see the universe on a large scale as it exists instantaneously, at the same time. We can only conjecture and hypothesize structures of the present but remote universe. We can suppose that if a reticular, interstitial structure is the outcome of random local isotropisms on an otherwise random and relatively even distribution, then we must expect this reticular structure to grow regionally better defined over the structure of the long run.

Very remote sources would be so weak gravitationally that their effect would be canceled by all the other remote sources, effectively, or else to be so diminutive as to be inconsequential as a significant influence upon a local system. It seems that there are very rare but very large, great or super-gravitators, presumably very large and very powerful black-holes which are capable of organizing very large regions of space-time. Presumably these might collect not just groups of local galaxies, but entire superclusters of galaxies in a process that would easily require billions upon billions of earth-years to organize and unify gravitationally.

Some conclusions might be as follows:

In the depths of space-time, there is expected to exist an large-scale accumulation of rogue black-matter that ranges in size scale from small gas and dust-particles to the size of dwarf stars or giant planets. This black matter would be on average extremely cold and basically invisible to direct telescopic observation, accumulating primarily in gravity-less zones outside of locally unified systems.

The total amount of this dark matter, whether bound gravitationally in unified systems, or existing as rogue matter, would probably be far greater than the combined matter and mass of all active-reactive systems (stars) combined.

As the universe continues, there will be an increasing overall quantity of such black matter, more or less evenly but randomly distributed throughout the universe.

If hypothesis about the alternative pathways of new matter is correct, then we would expect a gradual increase in the total amount of matter in the universe.

If the universe is infinite in space-time, then the total amount of matter may be infinite and yet be only a small subset in ratio to the total volume of space-time.

If upon a fundamental space-time as a substantive medium is isomorphic in its fundamental constituent energy with matter and other known forms of energy, then there is always a conserved amount of space-time, no matter how much new matter is created.

Objects of mass in proximity to one another will in the structure of the long run become gravitationally "unified" in relation to one another. Unification refers to the uniting of disparate bodies of mass into a single gravitational frame of reference such that the bodies all move in a single combined motion, relative to the frame, regardless of their individual motional paths within the frame.

            Gravitationally unified objects of mass in space-time function motionally as a single system, and move through space-time as a single system. Objects that collide and interact gravitational but are not relatively unified tend not to move as a single gravitational frame of reference. Gravitationally unified systems appear to have a certain state-path stability of orbit and motional pattern that is very long term.

            We might say, in general, that objects of mass in the long run in space-time:

            a. tend to become increasingly unified over the structure of the large and the long run.

            b. achieve a complex level of gravitational equilibrium over the long run that is very stable in orbital state-path trajectory.

            c. tend to incorporate increasing numbers of objects of mass at increasingly great distances.

            d. the orbital trajectories of objects about some common center of gravity tend in the long run to become less hyperbolic and less elipitical, becoming more stable along the plane of the ecliptic.

            We would expect, if these principles are universally applicable, that in the structure of the large and the long run larger and larger regions of space-time will become increasingly gravitationally unified, and that the universe originally began in a relatively chaotic and unified state. If the universe is infinitely large in extent and in terms of the amount of its mass objects, then the total universe will never become totally unified gravitationally, even if larger and larger regions of space-time become so unified.

Unification of objects of matter in space time appears to occur spontaneously and as the product of the gravitational interaction of these bodies, and the principles of organization of such processes of unification follows certain basic rules of order.

Gravitational unification creates a unified gravitational system out of an odd assortment of objects that would otherwise be randomly associated with one another. It is an interesting problem in as much as it is little understood in terms of either its ultimate causes or its actual complexities.

Within gravitationally unified multi-body systems, on a local scale the dominant, most proximate gravitational body predominates and functions independently of the larger system. In other words, within a fairly large and complexly unified gravitational system, such as our Solar System, there can be numerous smaller gravitationally unified systems, such as the earth-moon system, or the Jovian satellite system, or the Saturnian ring system, which are in and of themselves gravitationally unified and that fit into the larger Solar System as a single unit. At short range, the earth's gravitation appears dominant to the moon over that of the Sun, so that the moon is bound to an orbit about the Earth, while both earth and the moon are bound as a single but complex unit to the earth's orbit about the Sun. In a much larger system, the entire Solar System, with all its subsystems, appears bound in a gravitational frame of the Milky Way Galaxy, and appears to move through this galaxy more or less as a single unified system.

Tidal Gravitation

Tides provide us the clearest evidence of the influence of remote gravitational radiation that has an impact even within the Hill sphere of a distant planet, and if we look closely we can conjecture the occurrence of similar kinds of tidal influences upon the atmosphere and possibly upon liquid portions of the earth's mantle, as well as similar kinds of tidal patterns upon the atmospheres of other planets and their moons.

It is easy to see gravitation in relation to the flow of space-time--gravity can be called the inflow of space-time to a large object of mass. Mass can be considered to be the measure of the amount of consumption of space-time over a unit of time, if the theory of spime replacement and displacement holds. An object in motion has the energy of momentum, in the direction of is motion, which is an increase in its mass by its velocity. Another way of looking at this is to suggest that space-time is flowing faster in the direction of travel, increasing the relative mass of the object in this direction. In this direction, we can expect that the relative clock is slowed down, and we can suggest and inverse relationship between the relative rate of spime replacement and time. If such an hypothesis bears any weight, then we can expect time dilation to occur as a function of increased gravitation, and in contexts like a black-hole, we can expect a significant dilation of time to occur.

Another way of considering this issue is in terms of relative space-time densities, with the argument that the stronger the gravitational system the greater the field density of space-time and the faster the rate of flow of space-time through the region. We can understand its inverse relationship to time dilation if we realize that time might be dependent upon the relative scale of the event structure. Space-time event structure varies with the scale or relative size of the event.

We can view gravitation and space-time as a kind of well-system with different kinds of patterns occurring depending upon the scale at which we are observing. This idea is consistent with the stratified nature of physical systems, and suggests that Space-time may be a more complex pattern phenomena with integration upon multiple levels, or along a continuum that is based upon scale. In other words, once again, the quantum field structure of space-time varies continuously and systematically with the scale of the event structure, and this variation is possibly coordinate with the relative synchronization of clocks and other physical measuring devices.

We might speak of the field synchronization of non-simultaneous event structures, and this synchronization appears to be instantaneous and automatic, in a sense built into the very structure of space-time itself.

No event happens outside of the flow of space-time.

A blackhole may consist of a hole or puncture in the fabric of space-time.

Event structures at all levels are instantaneously synchronized with one another in space-time. In other words, space-time allows for the coordinate synchronization of independent event structures.

No physical event occurs that is not instantaneous regulated by the spatio-temporal frame of reference in which it occurs.

Gravitation consists of the isotropic flow of space-time in a non-random direction.

Space-time occurs upon a continuum based upon relative density and scale.

Upon a fundamental level space-time has a quantum field structure and is fluid dynamic, albeit in highly structured patterns.

The number of dimensions of space-time may increase with the reduction of scale, with the result that infinitesimally there may be an infinite number of dimensions upon which space-time is occurring.

The more dimensions governing space-time, it is possible that the faster the clock, relatively speaking.

On the grandest scale, time itself does not happen.

We are in a position therefore to suggest that time as we know it in a fundamental sense as a measure of physical change is governed by the relative rate of spime replacement/displacement that occurs within gravitational systems.

We can again see an ambiguous pattern in the shaping and dynamic flow of space-time at work in the concatenation of shifting gravitational influences upon remote elastic or liquid bodies.

Basic Energy and Change

Basic energy might be thought of as the expression or the possibility of change in the physical world--not change would happen without energy being exchanged in the process of change, of being yielded or absorbed, lost or given. The measure of energy thus becomes a solid measure of physical change to the universe. How much change and at what rate is determined by how much energy was involved in the transactions, and the kind of change is in part related to the kind of energy that is involved.

We see two interrelated facts about our physical universe, it is full of energy and it is continuously changing. Indeed, the universe seems to be a dynamic reality, always changing, never at rest, though it seems that some sense of rest is somehow a desirable or fundamentally preferred state, this sense of "rest" being of course entirely relative to the motional-gravitational frame of reference. We appear at rest on the earth's surface even if we are spinning around at 9 thousand miles per hour. We only sense our motion around the sun in its year perigrinations upon our horizon.

Three Fundamental States of Physical Reality

There appears to be three fundamental states of physical reality. These are matter, energy, and space-time itself. I hold that these are alternate forms of the same fundamental "thing" or what can be called the infinitesimal state. Each state appears unique to itself, such that different rules of order and understanding need to be applied to each separately, and yet all the states appear to be fundamentally equivalent to one another. It would behoove us perhaps to examine the interactions between these three states in greater detail:

If this model of the universal equivalence of three physical states is correct, we must exam the predictive model of the nature of interactions that occur between the three states. If these relationships are empirically accurate as a description of the fundamental structural patterns of physical reality, then their explanation holds and unlocks the secret of the unification of physical reality and the universe as a whole.

We can understand how space time produces energy in the form of increased pressures due to constant gravitational attraction produced by the discontinuous densities of matter. We can understand how possibly this same gravitational interaction of matter produces not only energy, but also space-time. Space-time, under conditions of sufficient gravitational attraction, may produce both matter and energy. We understand how energy is produced from matter, both through chemical and nuclear reactions.

We reach a phase of the study of physical reality when we can reasonably speak of a science of physical reactions that govern the transformation of fundamental physical states, and the possible alternate patterns these physical states may assume in the process.

We need a physics of alternative states, defining a state as a stable set of physical conditions of a system that occur predictably under relative circumstances. Space-time, energy and matter are alternative states of fundamental physical reality, and we posit a basic unity underlying these alternative states such that alternative states are equivalent to one another and that they exhibit equilibrium in the conservation of fundamental physical reality. Energy is equivalent to matter and both are equivalent to space-time. Various subatomic particles are various states of physical matter, as are varying forms of energy alternative states of physical force.

Self-mass is the measure of the amount of matter in a system in an ideally motionless system.

Induced mass is the measure of inertia or momentum of matter as a function of its relative motion.

Gravitational mass is the relative measure of the weight mass of a system within one or more converging gravitational fields.

We cannot separate these kinds of mass in any system. In essence, mass is the measure of the relationships between matter and the space-time context that contains that matter. It is in other words an expression of the effect of the space-time manifold produced by an object's existence and motion within gravitational fields. Even self-mass is essentially the result of the continuous induction of space-time into the matter. Energy produced on impact of colliding objects comes not from the intrinsic energy of the objects themselves, but from the space-time manifolds containing these colliding objects. A fast moving object contains potential energy, the energy required to achieve its acceleration, which, if suddently brought to a slower speed, will be automatically realized in the form of heat and light energy. The potential energy is the energy carried in the distorted space-time manifold that permits the object to continue its motional trajectory--energy of constant acceleration is the energy required to distort the space-time manifold in the exact direction of travel of the object.

Space-time is negative energy in the sense that it provides the universal counter-force to all motional or energy vectors. Inertia is the production of a space-time manifold that is distorted in the direction of travel. The rate of speed of travel, or velocity, is a function of the relative rate of transfer, or translation, of this manifold across space-time. The object travels as if it were in a pocket or space-time envelope that is especially shaped for the exact speed and precise direction of travel of the object.

The energy stored in a distorted space-time manifold that defines an object in motion is th energy required to shape a normally non-isotrope field in a definite shape or configuration. The energy of translation of this manifold, or pocket, is the energy of recursion of the space-time distortion in the direction of travel. This recursion is continuous and must travel as a uniform shape or trope.

The unification of space-time that is ordinarily random in organization requires the input of energy. If we think about the motions involved in space, of large bodies that are traveling at very fast rates of travel. It is the momentary, instantantneous organization of a field of space-time that requires the necessary input of energy--the shape of space-time becomes relatively permanent until some counter-force event occur which again transforms the shape to some alternate or random occurrence.

The base state of space-time is random organization and space-time always in the long run returns to a state of greater randomization. Any non-random organization of space-time is relative to a limited context and is found normally as a consequence of the formation, duration and motion of objects of matter which distort the space-time fields in their immediate contexts. Energy is required to produce a non-random distortion in the space-time manifold--the greater the distortion, the greater the amount of energy needed to create it. Our throwing of a ball or launching of some object of matter is really our means of acting materially upon the seemingly immaterial world of space-time--the ball becomes our means of distorting the space-time field in a certain direction to a certain degree--the travel and trajectory of the ball is a consequence of this ability to distort the space-time pocket containing the ball.

We may generalize this by stating that all energy transformation relationships occur in the context and medium of space-time, and involve the distortion of space-time in some isotrope manner. We may state that space-time is normally self non-isotrope, and in space-time there exist no intrinsically preferred directions of orientation. The distortion of space-time must be accomplished by overcoming its intrinsic counterforce, and this sets the inertia of change of position, direction or motion upon any object of mass.

For any object of a given mass, there may be a maximum attainable velocity that can be achieved by that object in space-time. Space-time may upon a fundamental level obtain to multiple dimensions, and consist of particulate states that are instantaneous or infinitely fast, and yet this does not change its relationship to any object that has mass.

Particulate states may be defined as fundamental states of reality that are self-contained to some extent. Electrons, protons and other known subatomics are particulate states, more or less stable or permanent. Particulate states below a certain size may no longer be subject to the laws of motion, universal gravitation or general relativity that larger objects of mass are subject too--particulate states below a certain size may no longer be said to have an effective mass relationship because these might be either equal or less than the size of fundamental spime and thus interact in a different manner with spime. I call these particulate states that are smaller than the requirements of a mass based system to be infinitesimal states. We can expect at this size, that if different dimensionalities apply, then alternative infinitesimal states would occur with increasingly quantum field characteristics.

We can speak of a universe at this scale in which there are no clear divisions between objects of mass and empty space-time, except in terms of differential density distributions of infinitesimals. Thus upon such a fundamental scale it would seem reasonable that various distributions of infinitesimal states would more or less freely interpenetrate one another without clear demarcations or boundaries separating alternative mass states.

We may say that a mass state is a collective entity that endures through space and time above an infinitesimal level--it is a stable system of infinitesimals bound together in such a way as to produce mass effects upon its neighboring region of space-time. We expect these mass effects to be the isotrope orientation of surrounding space-time in relation to the mass distribution of the object in question. We can call these mass states "bound" or "unified" states. We do not know the exact nature of this binding, though I suspect it to consist of strong nuclear forces, and its effect is to cause gravitational interactions with the surrounding space-time manifold and the release of gravitational energy. It appears though that bound states can affect particulate entities that are smaller or less than a bound nucleus, and these states yet have mass-gravitational effects upon their space-time manifolds.

It is evident that the prospect of gravitational unification allows the universe to organize itself on levels above that of quantum physical states, and to form macroscale systems that function somewhat independently of the forces and entities that compose them in the first place. Gravitational unification may be thought of as the mysterious manner in which the universe ties itself together in what would otherwise be a large disparate set of random and independent events.

The Organization of Matter, Energy and Space-time in the Observable and Inferrable Universe

Science tends towards the most conservative, data-driven interpretation of the fossil or temporal record. Dates have been constantly revised and pushed back, always to greater and greater depths of time scale. The inherent conservatism of a data-driven science, careful not to interpret data beyond known and visible horizons, may sometimes stand in the way of a broader and deeper view of nature which invites ever deeper, every larger, ever more minute, analysis.

Gravitation is an all pervasive, primary and principal organizational force in the universe. All astronomical bodies and groups of bodies appear to be organized, often to a high degree and often upon multiple levels of order simultaneously, by gravitation, and yet, paradoxically, we know yet very little directly about gravitational energy. It is clear that gravitation energy creates the pressures in astronomical bodies that create the core energies and heat of those bodies. Of large enough scale, gravitational pressures exerted on matter can transform normal states of matter into plasma, and produce relatively long lived nuclear furnaces we call suns or solar systems. Of even larger scale, gravitational energy can become so powerful that it can result in the formation of permanent black hole structures that devour all matter and energy that come within its gravitational grasp.

I have proposed previously that gravitational energy works to shape the flow of space-time, and that gravitational bodies, i.e., the nuclei of atoms collectively organized into a gravitating system, serve to consume space-time as a form of primal energy, or quintessence, which is converted to nuclear, thermal and electromagnetic energy that then normally escapes the system. The larger the system, the greater the net amount of energy produced, as the greater the net rates of consumption by the system as a whole, and this increase in consumption and production of new energy from the stuff of space-time is non-linear, and increases with the volume and scale of the gravitating body.

The quintessential energy of space-time is transformed into the the more familiar forms of energy, both gravitational and electromagnetic, on a regular basis in the nucleus of the atom. Protons and neutrons form pairs or nucleons that serve to attract space time to its center, probably by means of a spin.

This spin may be organized along an axis, the axial of which is oriented by the presence and relative proximity of every other nucleus with the gravitating body. These axii point in the direction of the common center of gravity, automatically, much analogous to how a compass needle automatically orients itself to magnetic north. This suggests that a gravitating system is a body of matter that becomes gravitationally unified upon a basic or primary level, and this unification is the organization of the flow of gravitational energy and space-time between nuclei of atoms in a quantum manner. In a sense, the identity of individual nucleonic particles may become uncertainly distributed over the entire nexus of the graviational structure, and this is relatively independent of the chemical organization of the electron orbital structures and fields produced by these structures that give account in chemical systems to the substantial organization of molecular and chemical matter.

If this hypothesis is correct, we might conclude that all matter, upon becoming gravitationally unified or organized, entails an automatic space-time axial orientation toward a common center of gravitational concentration, and this process of orientation occurs remotely between distant gravitational bodies as well as proximately. This axial reorientation relates to the motional inertial of moving bodies, since all bodies in space-time are by definition in motion, and to the readjustment of the momentum of energy due to acceleration or deceleration of a body or its change in direction of motion. This appears in turn directly connected to the relativistic characteristics of space-time, namely spatial-temporal dilation.

It becomes possible that a gravitating body, or a system of gravitating bodies, may exhibit simultanous spin upon multiple levels, each oriented by a different gravitational source. This suggests that gravitational energy in space-time constitutes a well system of energies that exist upon a simultaneous or instantaenous continuum of scale.

Balanced gravitational systems like the main bodies of our solar system exhibit a pattern of equivalent and balanced gravity, and exist more or less permanently and in highly stable trajectories along a centra plane of ecliptic that is defined by the sun's own rotational and axial orientation. Orbits appear to be more or less circular and uniform, within Kepler's laws. This is to be contrasted with highly imbalanced and irregular trajectories of meteors whose orbits appear at best hyperbolic or otherwise geodesic and highly unstable in relation to the larger gravitaitonal bodies that happent to come within the purview of these trajectores.Between these two extremes exist for instance the series of irregular moons by the larger Jovian planets, the orbits of which appear to be highly eliptical and in the long run unstable compared to the larger and generally more proximate lunar satellites.

We are left with a quandry as gravitating systems appear to consume space-time on a continuous basis, and this energy appears to contradict the basic principles of thermodynamics, namely that energy can be produced from apparent nothingness, to drive large scale systems that function practically speaking as perpetual motion machines. This quandry requires that we expand our conception of thermodynamics to include a larger systems paradigm that encompasses gravitationally dynamic systems in which energy is not lost but continuously concentrated and gained by a system, and in which the net outcome is not a tendency towards increasing entropy but contrariwise towards increasing non-random order as gravitational systems become increasingly self-organizing and unified. The thermodynamic heat and energy generated by large graviting bodies is in fact a by-product and incidental to the main processes of the transformation of space-time into matter, and thus represents the measure of disorder and entropy in such systems--the larger the system the greater the loss of heat and energy created by the transfer process.

The enlarged paradigm of general system dynamics offers the possibility of the unification of our understanding of the physical world within a single conceptual framework of understanding. It presupposes space-time as non-zero/non-empty and it proposes that space-time serves as a universal medium of communication between mass-based systems. The directional motion of an object of mass and its inertia and momentum of motion can be explained in terms of the counter-force of the flow of space-time in relation to the object, in the direction precisely opposite to its direction of movement and to the degree precisely proportional to its rate of travel and its mass. Its inertial frame defines the isotropic space-time context of the object which causes the object to shift is position in space-time continuously and without stop.

Gravitational systems fit the following gravitational paradigm:

1. The scale of a gravitating body is simply a direct function of the number of atomic mass units contained within that body.

2. Gravitational systems in the long run tend to be self organizing

3. Gravitational systems tend in the long run towards increasing order or what I refer to as gravitational unification.

4. The relative complexity of a gravitational system depends upon the number of gravitating bodies that are part or impinge upon the system, and the relative sizes and distances of these gravitating bodies in relation to one another.

A developmental paradigm for large scale gravitationally dynamic systems.

1. In the long run, if no outside random events result in interference with a gravitational system, the system however complex will develop toward greater and greater stability with increasingly regular orbital trajectories. We can imagine, in other words, gravitationally dynamic systems that are in perpetual motion.

2. In the long run, gravitational systems will tend to accrete new matter, and grow gradually in total size (mass and number of gravitational bodies) and in total complexity of the inter-gravitational system.

3. A gravitationally unified system of large enough scale will move collectively as a single system through space-time. Gravitational subsystems will be centrally oriented about a single or multiple axii in terms of their individual motions, and in terms of their total state-path tajectory through the universe.

4. Gravitational systems should in the long run increase in net amount of energy and grow in total energy contained within the system. This would mean that gravitational systems will grow in their total gravitational strength and volume of space-time consumed and/or oriented primarily to such a system.

5. Very large scale gravitational systems, like gallactic clusters and superclusters, should in the long run become increasingly integrated and organized.

We are inherently limited in our understanding of very large scale gravitational systems because the speed of light puts limitations to the deept of space we can observe in an instantaneous manner. It is expected that at great observational depths of space-time, most gallactic systems would be recognizeable according to the cosmological principle, independently organized and unifiend gravitationally. It would require billions, if not trillions of years for inter-gallactic gravitational systems to become highly organized.

Systems of great gravitational inequality and no counterforce movement to the direction of graviational attraction will result in short lived parabolic or hyperbolic trajectories resulting eventually in the collision of the smaller with the larger body.

Systems of near equal or equivalent gravitating bodies will tend towards long-term stable multi-body orbits that have a gyrational and elipitical pattern on a common plane of the ecliptic.

Different sized gravitational bodies have different outcomes in terms of their effect and state-path trajectory upon space-time, and in terms of the consequences of gravitation for their own mass. Gravitational pressures in very large bodies are great enough to induce not only thermonuclear reactions on a continuous basis, but to result in super-nuclear processes, or the formation of what be called super-plasma, plasma made of superheavy atomic nuclei that exceed by far the stable naturally occurring configurations on earth and that are maintained as a consequence primarily of continuous graviational pressure so great as to overcome any repelling forces otherwise preventing such formations in lower density, low mass systems.

From the standpoint of mass, gravitation appears to be a density dependent relationship--the greater the relative density in a give volume of space-time, the greater the gravitational field thus produced. Super dense matter, consisting primarily of nucleonic nuclei, is conjectured to exist in very star formations.

Many natural physical processes in the universe are gravitationally dependent. In fact, all mass-based systems situated in space-time may be said to be gravitationally dependent systems. The size of the gravitational system is dependent upon the relative density and total unified mass of the system. It is a central thesis of this framework that gravitational systems in the universe are endless sources of new energy, that gravitation provides the flow of space-time as a form of negative nergy into mass-based matter which then becomes converted to positive forms of energy on a continuous basis. The larger the system of gravitation, the greater the net amount of energy transformed, and the more dramatic the transformational consequences upon systems of matter that are involved.

It appears that gravitational systems are the sources of new matter, and this must be understood to hold as a first tenet in the organization of the universe. We cannot say there was any beginning to the universe--if it is eternal and endless, then we cannot speak of the beginning or the early phases, unless we are making a relative reference to some specific set of points in time, i.e, compared to some period of our common physical history. We can say earlier than or later than, compared to some arbitrary reference point, but to say "in the beginning" cannot preclude the possibility of some previous state or set of conditions that were developmentally a priori to the period in question, no matter how primary or seemingly original.

It is clear that gravitational pressures on solid masses, such as the earth or the other terrestrial planets, are sufficient to generate a continuous source of heat energy at the gravitational center. It appears that this amount of pressure of an earth-like gravitational system is insufficient for the initiation of fusion or nuclear processes, unless nuclear processes occur at the core of our own earth on a limited scale without our realization of this occurrence. There is a size at which such a planet approaches the dimensions of a small star or sun, probably several times the size of Jupiter or the other Jovian planets, at which point nuclear fusion processes become initiated at the core and continue indefinitely. A plent like Jupiter may well be on the way to becoming or on the limit of the threshold for these processes to occur, and if enlarged to any great degree by density by the addition of newe mass, may inaugurate a period in which nuclear fusion chain reactions begin occurring in the core. It is assumed that when such processes begin to occur spontaneously, then new mass is being created with a stable-state equilibrium, mass in excess of replacement matter being broadcast off from such a system in the form of solar wind.

Solar wind then is the regular broadcasting of excess stellar mass that is created as a consequence of fusion processes in stars, and as a process of the gravitational transformation and replacement of matter by space-time flowing into the gravitational center. If such a condition may hold, then the rate of inflow of space-time must on some level balance the rate of solar wind broadcast, possibly accompanied by the aggregation of heavier protonic matter within the star system itself. In general, new matter created must be in the form of plasma, and of sufficient energy to eject from the body of the gravitational system that would preclude its capture by such a system. Such systems are long term and relatively stable, regularly, continuously outputting solar mass into the surrounding solar system, without changing over the long-run its own intrinsic mass or structure.

Hydrogen clouds that exist in some gallactic regions represent the accumulation of hydrogen nuclei as a consequence of the solar wind broadcast continuously from millions of stars, and much of the "dark matter" alleged to exist in our galaxy, for instance, must be constituted by solar wind that has collided or come within the gravitational control of other systems. Larger and larger clouds must aggregate in relatively amorphous gravitational systems, the dynamics of which are not clear except possibly shifting gravitational centers or non-focal gravitational centers that may in the long run becoome convergent. In such a circumstance, larger and larger accumulations of hydrogen and possibly helium gas would accumulate, and regions grow in increasing average concentration or density, to the point of giving birth to new or incipient star systems.

Such star-forming cloud regions are known to exist observationally within our own galaxy, and probably are a common feature of most galaxies. It is evident that new mass is being continously created in the instantaneous, on-going universe, and new matter gradually accumulates. It would mean that galaxies would grow gradually in massiveness, size and count of their star-bodies over the long run, and very large galaxies must be de facto therefore very old galaxies. It is possible that this formation of new matter may be counterbalanced by some degree by the consumption of matter at the center of galaxies if the hypothesis of super-massive blackholes holds true for most or all galaxies. A super-massive blackhole would continue to consume increasing amounts of matter, and presumably would be a permanent fixture in any galaxy. If eliptical or spheroid galaxies are end-state sequences, relatively unified gravitationally, then we would expect within such affairs super-dense formations of star systems aggregated about a supermassive blackhole system, possibly in some form of stable gravitational state system that would preclude their eventual consumption by the blackhole.

The size of large galaxies would make these processes a matter of "gallactic time" which is probably extremely deep overall--a matter of billions of years. This is born out by two propositional inferences from the extended cosmological principle--the wider instantaneous state universe, and the constancy of stellar objects--the correlation of spatio-temporal constancy and stability of stellar objects over vast stretches of space-time. Star systems would have to migrate over many millions or billions of years and such a collective migration would entail in the long run gravitational consolidation of most of these systems about a common center.

Our conjecture of the age of the earth is based upon the radio-isotope dating of both earth and moon rocks, but it stands to reason that the matter the earth contains was made originally in a star different from the sun of which solar system it is a part and therefore much older than the supposed age--this matter was captured or accreted gravitationally over a long period of time. One possibility is that the original solar system was a binary system that about five billion years ago resulted in the destruction of one of the partners. One of the partner suns may have beeen a dwarf, and may have died out and possibly disintegrated subsequently under the gravitational pressures of the still intact and reactive partner. The radioisotopic dates of rocks would reflect the date at which the solar system of which it was an original part ceased fusion/fision reactions and the matter that was the by-product began a long trajectory of radioactive decay. Original hydrogen or helium gas from this partner star might have been blown off or absorbed gravitationally, leaving only a nuclear core.

This kind of hypothetical scenarion would entail that stars like our sun may actually go through several developmental phases, each a life-time, and the outcome of which would be the transformation of the star from one size to another.

Energy and Non-Empty Space-Time

All things in the Universe that we know of are formed of energy, and all energy is of one essential form, though it can be transformed in distinctive pathways. Matter is made of energy. All change events that occur in the Universe are fundamentally energy transformation events--the effects of energy that is transformed from one dynamic state to another. It is a central thesis of the model of the Dynamic State Universe, as a general system model, that space-time itself is a form of this energy, aleit a passive, or non-active form, or what might even be called a form of negative energy. We experience this negative energy primarily as gravity and as the inertia of resistance to the change of motion of bodies of matter, either directional, or temporal, because any such change affects and draws immediately, or instantaneously, upon the space-time manifold in which that body is embedded. Space-time is a kind of fluid-dynamic substance, called "Spime" that is composed, ultimately, of a fundamental form of energy called quinessence, from which derive all known kinds of forces and energy transformation events that occur and that are observable.

Electromagnetic radiation represents a ripple on the surface of space-time--it is a perturbation of the fabric of space-time that propagates with specific, known characteristics. The energy that causes this effect, namely the jumping of the electron between orbitals, and possibly the rearrangement of nuclear components, becomes propagated from the point of its origin in a specific direction. The apparent mass that the "photon" carries with it is the mass of its momentum of energy, and this is the mass that is intrinsic to the space-time manifold itself.

Gravitational radiation also constitutes a kind of ripple pattern on the surface of space-time. When we speak of the "surface" of space-time, we are of course referring to the four dimensional matrix that fills, volumetrically, the universe, and even it seems, invites a kind of Non-Euclidean geometry in which the volume of apparently empty space grows larger with increasing distance, non-linear to the apparent straight-line radius, or apparent line of sight. In other words, there is no motion in the universe that is non-linear because all motion flows through, or over, the surface of space-time that is itself curvilinear and non-linear in its "growth".

To imagine a large-scale observational sphere of the universe, it is difficult to construct a known model or a representation of the universe, as it is difficult to take into account the expansion of the dimensional variables we use to build our model. In other words, apparently empty space, seen from the standpoint of dynamic space-time, grows exponentially with increasing depth, and this depth can be said to be hyper-spherical. We are left to consider what might be called a hyperbolic sphere, or an infinite number of possible hyperbolic cones, extending form a specific point of origin.

The surface of space-time is what might be thought of as the omnipresent "now" of the Instantaneous state-universe, that from our perspective penetrates everywhere at the same moment. Events, strictly speaking, might be relatively non-simultaneous, but all non-simultaneous events occur within the same instantaneous universe. The light we see from very remote objects in the night-sky, the "then" of ancient stars of very deep space, is the now of light, or perturbations of the space-time manifold, that have expanded with the hyperspherical increase of great depth of space-time, of the expanded "Now."

The hyperspherical expansion of the surface of Space-Time with great depth becomes expressed with very "old" light in terms of red-shift, and astronomical evidence might suggest that this hyperspherical expansion is not a constant, but may itself be relative to larger, unconsidered frames of reference, whether these are gravitational in origin or other wise. In other words, the apparent instantaneous expansion of Space-time mmay not be perfectly hyperspherical, but variably so, and this may indicate a universe the fundamental structure and dimensionally of which is more complex than anything we have previously guessed at, with the suggestion of a mult-dimensional, multi-state universe, or alternatively, of multiple universes interconnected unpon fundamental levels within a larger metastate system.

We must submit to the possibility a larger paradigm of general relativity without the possibility of final fixed reference points. The size of the universe is relative to the point of view of the observer, this expanding outward in any direction of observation. The instantaneous wave-front of deep light from a remote source exhibits what might be termed hyperspherical characteristics different from light, instantaneously occurring, that is not from a deep source. In a sense, both fronts of light occur within the same instant, and from the point of view of the observer, from the same place of observation, but upon different "surfaces" of space-time--one an expanded surface and the other a non-expanded surface.

We must also consider the relativity of the motion of bodies in space-time, that perceived motion is relative to the frame of reference in which it is occurring.

If space-time is a kind of four dimensional fabric that has at least superficial fluid dynamic properties, then we must try to account for the structure and patterning of this fabric on a fundamental level, taking into consideration its epiphenomenal effects in terms of gravity and gravitational energy, and its other patterning in terms of inertial and relative effects upon moving objects.

The Theory of Positronic Space-time Binding and The Problem of Pristine Protonic Matter

We can reasonably account for the production of new protonic matter, nucleons and baryons, in the context of existing gravitational systems, but we cannot easily account for its production in contexts where no previously existing gravitating bodies of matter may be found.

Proton formation via positronic capture remains the best solution--if we interpret a nucleon as a positron that has been "captured" within a space-time manifold and is interacting with the fabric of space-time in such a way as to generate mass effects: i.e., to exhibit inertial effects that appear to be far greatly magnified over what we would expect from a lone, stray positron that has not been thus captured. In the presence of prexisting nucleonic matter, this makes sense, but it might also open the possibility of the capture of positronic matter (i.e., the production of pristine hydrogen nuclei) in contexts where there is no preexisting nucleonic matter.

The theory of positronic binding of space-time posites that the tightly closed spin of the positron serves to bind space-time in such a way as to create mass effects by means of its continuous compression inwardly to a single point. We might look upon a nucleon as a very tiny black-hole, the effect of which is to bind spime within it. We may speculate that quarks or some such fundamental particlate of space-time becomes bound within the tight radius of spin of the positron, and that this spin emits gravitational radiation on a regular basis as it continues to capture more and more spime. Spime, the fundamental stuff of space-time, becomes essentially consumed in the process on a continuous and permanent basis.

The steps that might make sense seem to be the following:

1. Gravitational involution of space-time, from either a gravitating body of matter, or alternatively a possibly a gravitational vortex,  producing intense light energy and gravitational radiation, presumably of very high frequencies/short wavelengths--ie. gamma or cosmic radiation.

2. Collision of photons within the region of this process of gravitational involution, producing electrons and positrons in abundance, and resulting in the formation of large ionic clouds of subatomic matter in space.

3. Subsequent capture of positrons either by preexisting atomic nuclei or by the possibility of the collision of positrons with other positrons. The effect of such capture would be the "irradiation" of atomic nuclei and the "fusion" of new nucleonic particles within the nuclei.

4. The gravitational aggregation of nuclei and nucleonic/ionic particles through self-gravitation, reslting eventually in greater and greater concentrations of hydrogen and helium gas, forming eventually thickened regions of nucleonic plasma.

5. The production of stars of varying dimensions and masses, depending upon the size of the cloud formations and the concentration of plasma within these clouds.

6. The possible continuing gravitational aggregation of smaller stars to form larger and larger stellar entities, as well as the gradual aggregation of star-forming regions of the clouds, resulting in the formation of star galaxies.

7. The continuing gravitational aggregation of stellar galaxies to form larger and larger gallactic clusters.

8. The eventual gravitational aggregation of larger and larger black holes at the center of these gallactic formation

Gravitating Bodies of Matter as General Space-Time Systems

When we speak of a general gravitational system, we are referring to a pattern of the self organization of space-time which on some level creates a pattern of synergy of which each member body plays a part, and this system behaves on some level independently of other systems outside of it, though it appears at the same time to be critically influenced by energy interactions in a larger space-time context, and it thends towards a dynamic equilibrium of the mutual motion of the bodies in such a system. Furthermore, we see a sense of gravitational self-organization of the main gravitating bodies of our solar system, and a sense of equi-finality in the emergence of a stable concentric organization of planets around a central gravitator, more or less on one plane of ecliptic. We are fortunate in our understanding of space to have at hand a solar system as sophisticated and as interesting as the one we inhabit, and it is more than just the amazing fact that our own earth is so far the only celestial body we know of to harbor life.

It is perhaps the relative isolation of a gravitational system like our solar system that entails a relatively long developmental life-span without a great amount of outside disruptive influence by other gravitating bodies or systems of bodies.

The representation of the solar system as a kind or special class of general system model based upon gravitational dynamics, and the representation of the general system model in terms of multi-body gravitational systems, invites a closer theoretical understanding of what we mean by a general system model and how gravitational dynamics of multi-body systems fulfills the parameters of such a model.

In the case of the solar system, the trajectories of the satellites have been subordinated to the trajectory of the system as a whole, and the motions of the satellite systems are subordinate to the general motion of the system as a whole. The satellites have been arranged along a general plane of ecliptic, and they are spaced at large intervals apart. We may not readily explain the reaons for this, and it may have to await our knowledge of comparative systems to determine patterns of variation in the arrangements and trajectories of satellites around central orbiting bosies, though I suspect that there will be found very wide and almost infinite if not unique variation of pattern with each solar system that we encounter and explore beyond our own.

In other words, we are in a position to appreciate whole gravitational systems, like our own solar system, and possibly, like any solar system of stars and their satellite planets and planetoids, as a kind of gravitaitonally dynamic general system model.

Multi-Order Gravitational Systems

We may speculate on a paradigm of large bodies of matter and their gravitaitonal effects on space-time:

1. All bodies of matter in space are in motion that is determined by the complex pattern of curvature of the space-time manifold in which it moves.

a. motions of bodies of matter are relative to the gravitational systems in which thye occur.

b. there is no body of matter in space that is not in some form of relative motion.

c. Complex motion is the combined trajectories of an object that is the result of its place within several nested systems of gravitation simultaneously.

2. The gravitational effects of bodies of matter upon space-time results in the "curvature" of space-time.

a. All motion by bodies of matter in space-time is non-linear even if its relative motion appears linear and straight.

b. Non-linear motion of bodies of matter in space-time is equivalent to the "curvature" of space-time.

3. Non-linear motion of bodies of matter in space-time may involve acceleration, or deceleration in a given relative direction, and a continuous change of direction.

a. The curvature of space is relative to the gravitational frame of reference, and is non-isotrope.

b. The curvature of space follows non-linear control dynamics, and is therefore cosmographically complex.

There are two sources of motion in the the universe, force and counter-force. Force pushes an object and counterforce pulls an object. Force may include any for of radiant energy, for instance, light, which has the capacity to push an object of mass in a given direction. The main counter-force that we know of, that pulls an object, is what we observe as the effect of gravitating bodies that appears to pull an object toward a center of gravitation.

The Self-Organization of Gravitational Systems

A thesis not commonly acceptable in space science is that gravitaitonal systems as systems may be self-organizational--that they may develop and change over time, albeing in a complex, chaotic, random fashion, that may result in the self-organization into a stable system the prime example of which would be our solar system including all the planetary subsystems within it. In theory gravitational systems following principles of gravitational dynamices would tend towards gravitational unification or equilibirum, in the structureof the long run--it would be as if very large billiard balls, on a billiard table, randomly shot around the table, would slowly but gradually move in relaiton to one another until they form a stable system.

The problem with this view from a conventional standpoint that considers thermodynamics but without the consideration of gravitational dynamics, is that bodies in motion in space simply cannot spontaneously change their motion--unless they are somehow affected by other bodies, either through collision or gravitational attraction.

But if we consider the proposition of the self-organization of multi-bodied gravitational systems, we can see the possibility of the capture of random-trajectory objects in space by such stable systems, and the gradual alteration of the trajectory in relation to different bodies, until that trajectory becomes either stabilized ina quasi-permanent equilibrium, or else it would grow increasingly unstable, and in following alternate possible trajectories of such a system, we can refer properly to models non-linear dynamics and control theory.

Under such a theoretical framework it is possible to imagine the solar system as a kind of complex gravitational vacuum cleaner that picks up space debris as it continues its orbit through the Milky Way, and that objects that come within a certain radius of this moving system will be captured or at least interact with the system gravitationally to the point that the trajectory and possibly speed and rotation of an object may be altered, sometimes significantly.

We might understand the spontaneous change of motion of objects of matter in space time and the self-organization of multi-body gravitational systems in space-time if we realize that the gravitational frames of reference are relative to the point of view of the observer, and that motion may be apparent or non-apparent depending upon one's frame of observational reference.

If for instance, the sun is hurtling in a given direction through space upon some trajectory circumnavigating the galactic center, then all the satellites and sub-satellites, each with their own relative gravitational frames of reference, are also hurtling in this same direction, even if this motion is non-apparent to someone who is within the system itself. But is its this directional motion of the main gravitating body of a system that serves to foster over the long run the self-organization of all bodies attached to this central body, as they are forced to move in the same direction as a result of their gravitational unification. An errant object entering the solar system for instance in an oblique, parabolic trajectory, would be dragged in the general direction that the sun is moving in, and this would alter its course towards necessarily a more stable trajectory around the sun.

In a sense, the sun's gravity would drag the errant, highly elliptical body in its own general direction. It is this "parallel" motion in relation to a common center of gravity that would serve as the basis for unifying the system into a stable, self-organized gravitational system with a very high degree of equilibrium.

The plane of the ecliptic for any gravitational system is the plane of greatest gravitational stability from the main gravitational body of a system. This plane corresponds to a circular trajectory of space-time between different objects of different mass in which a stable, near ciruclar orbit is achieved.

The plane of the ecliptic carries important implications for gravitational systems and dominant gravitating bodies--the self-organization of satellites on a plane of the eliptic tends toward an island of stability that would correspond to what is called the gravitational hill-sphere of the central gravitating body. Anything signficatly above or below the plane of the ecliptic would tend towards an increasingly eliptical orbit, an orbity which in the long run would become increasingly unstable, and tend either towards collision or unification with the main gravitational body, or a gravitational sling-shot effect that would whip the object into an unstable hyperbolic orbit beyond the gravitational reach of the object.

The plane of the ecliptic has a generally perpendicular relationship to the main axis of rotation of the dominant gravitating body, and this tends to be the plane of the equator of the body that is of greatest diameter, centrifugally, compared to the poles. Evidence shows that the planet may tilt, wobble or change drastically its main axis of rotation after the fact of its formation of a satellite system, in which case the plane of the ecliptic will not be immediately altered or changed. Evidence shows that the direction of rotation of a planet, as for instance Venus, may actually reverse without affecting its relationship to the plane of the eliptic.

We can understand better the stability of the plane of the elciptic for a complex, high-level system of gravitation when we realize that the gravittional influence of all the bodies of the system are interacting with one another, and that the least disturbance to any one object occurs when all the objects are rotating on more or less the same plane in relation to the dominant and central gravitational body. A large satellite with a radical non-ecliptic and highly elliptical orbit would in the long run tend to interact with other satellites, either disturbing these or being disturbed by them, to the point that this satellite in the long run could not achieve a stable long term trajectory in the system.

A central plane of ecliptic is observable for all multi-body gravitational systems in the cosmos, even for large gallaxies, and even if, for such large galaxies, not all bodies within the system have orbits stable upon the plane of ecliptic.

We can observe that galaxies and gravitational systems develop and evolve in the long run through space-time, going towards greater gravitational stability or what can be called relative gravitational equilibrium of the system. Highly ellipitical orbits will in the long run become unstable in relation to other gravitational bodies with which it interacts--the long term consequence will be either a collision or unification with these other bodies, or ejection from the system completely. Elliptical orbits will in thelong run incline bodies towards a greater evenness with the central plane of ecliptic of the system, and towards greater circularity rather than eccentricity of its main pathway.

We can expect a higher rate of asteroid and large body impact earlier in the formation of a gravitational system, from objects that are not on the plane of the ecliptic, and these rates of collision will decrease gradually over the long term with fewer non-stable gravitating bodies remaining in the system. Of course, a sun-like star traveling through space will possibly intersect and interact with other larger bodies in space, either other stars, or smaller planets, planetoids, comets or asteroids from beyond its own system, and these would represent new bodies introduced to the system that would affect the system in different, albeit complex and chaotic ways.

The main source of asteroids are collisions of larger objects. An alternative minor pathway may be the ejection of asteroids froma larger object, either through volcanic activity or by impact with some other object. Asteroids thrown off from a collision would have high energy and highly unstable, irregular trajectories with relation to any gravitational system. It may be possible that a large planet or planetoidal object might fracture and break apart spontaneously due to internal pressures. This has not been observed but is suggested by evidence on some of the moons of the solar systems.

We should not discount brown dwarf stars, and possibly even smaller burnt-out suns--black body objects, that eventually break apart from collision, or possibly internal explosion, that results in the ejection of a great amount of solid matter into space. The other possibility is the massive disturbance by a neighboring star-system, a nova or exploding star that results in gravitational blast waves that cause collisions or destruction to bodies of matter near-by.

In fact, all of the matter found in the planets, and smaller bodies must ultimately have originated inside of some solar furnace or sun, and must thus be the long-lasting relics of an extinct star system that eventually burnt out and broke apart. Of course, matter broken apart will in the long run self-organize into larger bodies--fragments will eventually collide and coalesce to form a fairly large body which will begin to exhibit its own intrinsic first order gravitational dynamics depending upon its mass.

If we date rocks on earth by the half-lives of the minerals they contain, we can reach the date of the formation of the planet, more or less, as a consequence of the cessation of thermo-nuclear processes in the star system that created those rocks in the first place.

Gravitational Aggregation of Astronomical Systems

From the smallest subatomic particles, to the largest masses known to exist in the universe, there seems to be occurring a gradual process of gravitational aggregation of matter, in which matter is becoming combined into larger and larger bodies, whether these bodies are single, first order systems, or higher order multi-body systems.

If this gravitational aggregation is occurring, it is occurring everywhere there is matter in the universe, and from all points, and upon all levels of the organization of protonic matter, the same basic processes of gravitational aggregation are occurring. As the distances between gravitating bodies incrteases, the forces at work in the aggregation of these bodies becomes infinitely weaker and weaker, and hence the process of aggregation and gravitational unification becomes increasingly delayed and more gradual.

This means that the universe is not expanding apart into oblivion, but rather, is slowly pulling itself together into larger and larger protonic aggregates. This process has been occurring for a very long time, building new systems from old, and it has resulted in what might be called the permanent accumulation of large amounts of protonic matter in the universe.

Dynamic forces serve to redistribute much of the matter and energy in the universe in all directions, such that these events counteract the gradual processes of gravitational aggregation and, in the long run, serve to impeded and reduce the rate at which the universe is aggregating. If our hypothesis of spime induction and gravitational involution of space-time is correct, then it is possible that matter and energy is being continuously redistributed from gravitating centers, and new matter is being made and then blown out into space to begin the process of reaggregation on the most basic levels once more.

Oblique motion of gravitatng bodies can serve to almost permanent resist the process of gravitational aggregtion, and results in semi-permanent formation of complex multi-body gravitational systems.

The Relative-State Universe

A universe that has no absolute reference points is de facto an infinite state system. It is hyperspherical in all directions, from all points, and there is no point of reference from which the universe may be observed all at once in a non-relative, absolute way.

Speculations on the Gravitational Origins of the Solar System

We may never know the exact origins of our solar system. If we accept the idea that the matter found in the planets and satellites of the Solar system were originally made in a star or set of stars, then we have some possibly scenarios--the original solar system, what might be called the first stage primordial solar system, might have been a binary star system--perhaps one or even both stars burnt out and/or broke up. Perhaps our current sun formed  from the remnants of the first binary pair, and the debris collected over time to form the solar system that developed into what we find today orbiting our mid-sized sun. Granted, most of the debris would have been lost to outer space--and this leads to the other thought, that it is possible that outerspace harbors a substantial amount of such debris--leftover cold or "warm" matter from previous star systems, and that this debris may over time collect, aggregate gravitationally, collide explosively, forming new kinds of systems like what we call planets, planetoids and asteroids.

In a sense, Jupiter may not have been so much a hydrogen ball, a proto-star, too small to go nuclear, but the leftover hydrogen spent from an old star, reaggregated under its own gravitational mass, to form a giant gas planet.

Multi-bodied Gravitational Systems and the Plane of the Ecliptic

For multibody gravitational systems, the plane of the ecliptic represents the common plane upon which the maximum mutual gravitational attraction and interaction occurs--the plane of greatest gravitational equilibrium between all the significant gravitating o bdies of the system. Bodies upon trajectories not on the plane are not coordinate to the system and therefore are disruptive--their trajectories interact with the entire system via their positioning and trajectories in relation to the plane of the ecliptic.

From the standpoint of space time--the plane of the ecliptic represents all points concentric to the center or focus of the system. We cannot conceive this but as certain trajectories of orbit that tend from the eliptical to the circular, with as minimal change of speed or curvilinear trajectory as possible. In such an orbit, the speed and distance of the smaller body effectively counteracts the gravitational force of the larger body.

In the long run, the trajectories of gravitating bodies, large or small, must approach and increasingly occur on the plane of the ecliptic, if there is to be a long term stability of the trajectory.

From this standpoint, it is perhaps best to understand space-time as the possibilities of motion, of alternative trajectories of acceleration and change of direction. If we hypothesize a cosmological model based upon the relativity of an instantaneous state universe, the motions of an object in relation to any other object are relative to the gravitational frame of reference that defines those two objects. If two objects, say to distant galaxies, are said to be gravitationally independent of one another, then no motions of one galaxy could have an influence or be influenced by the motions of the other galaxy.

Another way of looking at this, is to see the universe as an instantaneous state-system existing "simultaneously" upon multiple levels of space-time. Space-time has a scale dependency, and this scale dependency creates a kind of four dimensional volume--the possibility of multiple coexisting three dimensional spaces that nevertheless run on different time-scales. It is a problem to try to understand how different time-scales, say slow time and very fast time, can coevolve in the same universe synhcronously--with in the long run slow-time passing much more slowly than fast time--and if we can stretch our sense of time-scale to the ulitimate limits--infinitely fast and infinitely slow, then on one end we can imagine a state of the universe in which time does not even pass at all, and a corresponding synchronous state in which the universe is passing all at once, infinitely fast, in which distances become irrelevant.