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Project Phi Grid — Independent Research
A rigorous statistical investigation into whether φ-ratio geometry structures the Earth, the solar system, and the stellar neighbourhood.
Project Phi Grid tests a precise, falsifiable hypothesis: that the golden ratio φ structures the geometry of natural systems at multiple scales — from Earth's surface to the stellar neighbourhood — at levels of statistical significance that cannot be explained by chance.
The golden ratio φ appears throughout nature — in nautilus shells, sunflower seeds, and galaxy spirals. Phi Grid asks whether this isn't coincidence: whether φ actually governs how structures are spaced at cosmic scales.
We test this with real data, pre-registered hypotheses, and rigorous statistics. If φ-shells anchored at Neptune predict where nearby stars cluster — and no other anchor does — that demands explanation.
The core test: KDE of radial stellar distances (volume-corrected, bandwidth 0.8 ly) against φ-ratio geometric progressions rₙ = r₀ × φⁿ. Monte Carlo null distributions constructed from N=100,000 random geometric progressions and random position sets.
Anchor specificity: 11 candidate anchors tested. Only Neptune (30.069 AU) and Kuiper Belt outer edge (~50 AU) return p<0.05. Inner solar system bodies, heliopause, and Oort Cloud all return p>0.75. Pre-registration: OSF osf.io/a72fp.
Each result is accompanied by its p-value, dataset, and pre-registration record. Null results are reported alongside positive ones.
The Gaia null result is reported prominently and without spin. Pre-registered science means the hypothesis is tested honestly — a null result is a result. The partial 0–20 ly concordance is currently under investigation as a focused replication study.
The most important control in this research: the same test was run identically on 11 candidate anchors spanning the solar system. Inner planets, the Sun, the heliopause, and the Oort Cloud all return null. Only the outer Neptune/Kuiper boundary is significant — both physically meaningful anchors that mark the edge of Neptune's dynamical zone.
| Anchor | Distance (AU) | p-value | Significant? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | 0.387 | > 0.75 | No |
| Venus | 0.723 | > 0.75 | No |
| Earth | 1.000 | > 0.75 | No |
| Mars | 1.524 | > 0.75 | No |
| Jupiter | 5.203 | > 0.75 | No |
| Saturn | 9.537 | > 0.75 | No |
| Uranus | 19.191 | > 0.75 | No |
| Neptune | 30.069 | 0.0285 | Yes ★ |
| Kuiper Belt outer edge | ~50 | 0.0285 | Yes ★ |
| Heliopause | ~120 | > 0.75 | No |
| Oort Cloud (inner) | ~2,000 | > 0.75 | No |
★ Both significant anchors mark the outer boundary of Neptune's dynamical zone. Citation: Volk et al. 2019, AJ 158 64. DOI: 10.3847/1538-3881/ab2c3b
All papers, notebooks, and pre-registrations are publicly available. Reproducibility is a core commitment of this project.
Conceptual illustrations showing the φ-ratio structure at three scales: Earth's surface, the solar system, and the extreme outer solar system boundary where the signal is detected.
Whether you're a researcher interested in collaboration, a journalist covering independent science, or a member of the public with questions — reach out.