Why is the universe uniform?

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Why is the universe uniform?

Name: crwz
Status: N/A
Age: N/A
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: Around 1999

Question:

Why does the universe appear relatively uniform in all directions? For example, why does the background microwave radiation (with the famous minor fluctuations) appear all over the sky? The same question applies to the distribution of galaxies. If our telescopes can see back almost 15 billion years - or over 90% of the lifetime of the universe, why don't we see more activity toward what was the center of the universe? If we can look 15 billion light years in all directions then (a) we are still at the center of the universe (just like we were at the center of the solar system!) (b) the universe is 30+ billion years old or (c) I don't get it. Are we perhaps looking at 'folds' in the universe?

Replies:

The universe is NOT uniform. We are not at the center. Interstell (intergalactic) dust obscures what we cannot see directly. The universe may indeed be folded but since I hate folding my laundry then perhaps the last load the universe found itself in has yet to be folded.
Just a thought

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Update: June 2012