If space is expanding at an increasing rate, does the mean the stars in our galaxy are expanding further away from each other too?

Question

And if it is, is it just such a miniscule change that we don’t notice it, or is gravity keeping us close while space is expanding away, almost like a water skiier behind a boat?

In: 2

Answer 1

The expansion of the universe is so tiny that it is insignificant compared with local gravity. It would be like trying to factor in the gravitational pull of Pluto on an object as it falls from your desk to the floor; technically there would be a contribution, but it would have no meaningful effect.

And this doesn’t just apply to other stars within our galaxy; it applies to galactic clusters as well.

Universal expansion is only a meaningful thing on the scales between galaxy clusters. It happens on scales smaller than that but not to any degree that is worth caring about or is measurable, even over non-trivial timescales (at least for now).