The universe looks like the Eiffel Tower topped with a never-ending spire, a German physicist said Wednesday.

Researchers in Ulm, birthplace of Albert Einstein, have developed a model of the universe as an elongated triangle like the Paris landmark, but with a spire going on and on.

The team at Ulm University hopes their model will revolutionize understanding of the universe. Visualisations are difficult because scientists have mathematical proof the universe has an infinite form but a finite volume.

"Previously, scientists have dodged fundamental problems to create models of the universe but all existing knowledge of quantum physics supports our model," Frank Steiner, professor of theoretical physics, said when asked about an Internet report on the team's work.

"This research has not been published yet but the unofficial response in the scientific world so far has been positive," he told Reuters.

Earlier models, such as one in which the cosmos looks like a huge football, have been widely disputed by physicists.