Shape of the universe

Local and global geometry of the universe

In physical cosmology, the shape of the universe refers to both its local geometry and cosmic topology. Local geometry is defined primarily by its curvature, general relativity explains how spatial curvature (local geometry) is constrained by gravity. The cosmological topology of the universe cannot be deduced from measurements of curvature inferred from observations within the family of homogeneous general relativistic models alone, due to the existence of locally indistinguishable spaces with varying global topological characteristics.

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