The concept you're describing, where the force of gravity counteracts the expansion of the universe to keep distances between objects constant, is known as the "gravitational binding" or "cosmic glue" hypothesis. However, it's important to note that the current understanding of the expansion of the universe and gravity does not support this hypothesis. Let me explain further:
Expansion of the Universe: Observations indicate that the universe is indeed expanding, and this expansion is accelerating. This discovery was made through observations of distant supernovae, cosmic microwave background radiation, and large-scale structure of the universe. The expansion is attributed to a property called dark energy, which is thought to be responsible for the accelerated expansion.
Role of Gravity: Gravity, as described by general relativity, is an attractive force that acts on objects with mass. It is responsible for the formation of structures like galaxies and galaxy clusters. However, on cosmological scales, the effect of gravity is not strong enough to counteract the expansion caused by dark energy. The accelerating expansion is believed to dominate over the gravitational pull between individual objects.
Increasing Gravity: While the expansion of the universe continues to accelerate, the force of gravity does not increase proportionally to counteract it. In fact, the strength of gravity remains relatively constant over cosmological timescales. This is because dark energy, the driving force behind the accelerated expansion, does not affect gravity locally or within gravitationally bound systems like galaxies. Dark energy appears to have a uniform influence on the overall expansion of the universe.
In summary, the current understanding is that the accelerating expansion of the universe is not countered by a proportional increase in the force of gravity. Instead, dark energy is thought to be the dominant factor driving the expansion, while gravity continues to play a role in forming and shaping structures on smaller scales. It's important to note that our understanding of dark energy and the nature of the accelerating expansion is an active area of research, and future discoveries may refine or expand our knowledge on this topic.