130
The
Infinite
Book
Fig 7.6 Maurits Escher's beautiful woodcut of a loxodrome, Sphere Spirals (1958). The curve cuts each of the lines of longitude at the same angle and this results in an infinite spiralling into the North and South Poles of the globe.14 Until just a few years ago the observations pointed stubbornly to a Universe that did not contain the critical density of material needed to halt its expansion in the future. Even the dark matter couldn't tip the scales. On the simplest interpretation of the evidence it appeared that the Universe could not be finite. Or could it?
BENT
UNIVERSES
'I used to measure the heavens Now the earth's shadows I measure M y mind was in the heavens Now the shadow of my body rests here.' E p i t a p h on K e p l e r ' s Grave 1 5