  We have previously shown that spherically symmetric, inhomogeneous universe
models can explain both the supernova data and the location of the first peak
in the CMB spectrum without resorting to dark energy. In this work, we
investigate whether it is possible to get an even better fit to the supernova
data by allowing the observer to be positioned away from the origin in the
spherically symmetric coordinate system. In such a scenario, the observer sees
an anisotropic relation between redshifts and the luminosity distances of
supernovae. The level of anisotropy allowed by the data will then constrain how
far away from the origin the observer can be located, and possibly even allow
for a better fit. Our analysis shows that the fit is indeed improved, but not
by a significant amount. Furthermore, it shows that the supernova data do not
place a rigorous constraint on how far off-center the observer can be located.

Astrophysics