This short communication advances the hypothesis that the observed fractal
structure of large-scale distribution of galaxies is due to a geometrical
effect, which arises when observational quantities relevant for the
characterization of a cosmological fractal structure are calculated along the
past light cone. If this hypothesis proves, even partially, correct, most, if
not all, objections raised against fractals in cosmology may be solved. For
instance, under this view the standard cosmology has zero average density, as
predicted by an infinite fractal structure, with, at the same time, the
cosmological principle remaining valid. The theoretical results which suggest
this conjecture are reviewed, as well as possible ways of checking its
validity.Comment: 6 pages, LaTeX. Text unchanged. Two references corrected. Contributed
paper presented at the "South Africa Relativistic Cosmology Conference in
Honour of George F. R. Ellis 60th Birthday"; University of Cape Town,
February 1-5, 199
