Is the universe not expanding, but is it actually shrinking?

Answer

Wow, maybe you should answer and not us.

We are not approaching the core of our galaxy at all. There is a lot of interstellar matter on its way to be absorbed by the central black hole of our system, but it is nothing really special. In any case, we have nothing to do with that, we continue to run circles at a safe distance.

That we are approaching the center of the cluster is also an obscure position. Yes, in our local area of ​​the universe, we are not the dominant piece, and greater mass concentrations in our (yet quite distant) environment attract us. We feel a pull toward the Virgo cluster, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the local universe is shrinking. Falling in means being accelerated, and therefore also flying faster when you are past.

What we call the expansion of the universe is happening on a grander scale than the “local” phenomena you speak of. From a length scale where local attractions are no longer dominant, because they more or less cancel each other out, we establish that the expansion of space is the dominant factor. The fact that it took so long to realize this has to do with the limited evidence close to us.