I dont understand how they can measure the visible universe, and still call it infinite. Ive heard it said that if you kept going in a direction, you would eventually end up where you started. How is this possible while being able to measure the distance from one side of the universe to the other? If they can SEE the background radiation, what makes them think there is nothing beyond it? And "nothing", not in the sense of empty space, but "nothing" as in "it doesnt even exist".
135112
The visible universe is supposedly that size because we can see the light from the beginning and therfore base the size on how far light has travelled in the time; However, the universe is not actually that size, since there are areas beyond the Event Horizon which light has not come from yet, and thus the universe is larger than that estimate.\n\n More to answer your point, the universe is expanding at its limits, but as it does so it creates teh space that we as three-dimensional beings can move in, like a dot on the surface of a balloon; If the dot could move anywhere on the surface, it could move all over the balloon, but never cover all of it as it expands. In the same way, the univrese is finite in size, but unbounded in dimension and therefore to practiacl purposes probably infinite.\n\n It's a hard concept and many people have trouble with it.:)
321917
Quite an interesting question.  Well, it's true that the Universe is expanding, has been expanding since the Big Bang, and always will expand.  Plus, it's been doing so at the speed of light, so unless there's some way for us to travel faster than that, we're already too late to actually go (or send something) and find out what it's expanding into.  Point B can never reach the end.  Having said that, we're fairly sure that 'nothing' is beyond space.  Space is expanding into nothingness.  Of course, this is a hard concept since most of space has nothing in it anyway.  Yet even  when space is empty, it's still considered 'something.'  This empty 'something' expands into the nothingness.  Confusing, I know, but I can't think of a better way to explain.  Anyway, I don't believe there's a container that would stop the Universe from expanding.  I suppose it could be theoretically possible, but I'm not sure how.  I believe it will keep on expanding forever.
142254
Once you leave the Milky Way you are not outside the universe. The Milky Way Galaxy is one of many known galaxies in the universe. There are probably billions we don't know about. "Goodness knows where" is inter-galactic space.\n\nInfinity means "forever". It is not necessarily a measurable distance or time. We're not sure if the whole universe is infinite. We can't even see most of what is out there. The estimated size of the observable universe is 7.4x10^26m (that's really, really, really, really big). Beyond that we're not sure yet.
335170
The ideas of zero and infinity are really difficult, mainly because we have hardly, if ever, seen them in our lives. When have you really seen nothing? Never. When have you seen everything? Never. \n\nAnd a quantity of infinity does not mean it goes on forever, that is a mis-conception. Quantities dont go, rates do.\nInfinity is the opposite of nothing. Its everything. Not like everything in front of you, that is a limited number. But EVERYTHING. The maximum of existance.
497891
If the Andromeda Galaxy is 2.5 million light years away and it's the only galaxy on Earth to be seen by the naked eye, it leaves us to wonder how far it really is.\n\nPersonally, I googled it. I couldn't find a thing relating to the blank nothingness further than the universe.\nI only looked a little bit, but there are very few educational guesses on the Internet.\n\nMaybe you should try. Googling that is. Maybe it's you who'll find the right words to search it in.  \nThe words stumped me so the was probably my problem.\n\nGood luck on finding the answer!\n-Marissa
567453
the question is, what is there to block the universe from expanding?  The theory of going out one end and coming out on the other would break any and all laws of physics and space that we hold today, which, is a possibility, but not a likely one.  Also, the concept of infinity doesnt need to follow regular laws of mathematics, because infinity is not a number as some poeple have been treating it here.  Infinity is a concept, where infinity means increasing by an infinite amount, as in, ongoing and never ending...it is a concept, not a number.  So, how can the universe go on forever? it may not be able to, but with our current laws of physics, unless there is soemthing with an equal or greater power to stop the space matter and such that is expanding in light years, then the universe will never stop expanding.  Before the "big bang THEORY", (again, theory, not law as someone was using it to make their point) thee must have been some type of area occupying what our current universe is eating up, since again, by our current laws, you cannot make something out of nothing, so, my thought would be that the universe will expand as far as the previous area which it is expanding into, because it cannot expand to make something our of nothing at all, or so our current laws say...
58577
The universe is not actually infinite, although it is unimaginably large - perhaps up to thirty billion light years across with a couple of million galaxies.\n\nHowever, the circumstances that created Earth are quite unique: only we emerged from the particular dust cloud that formed us, only on Earth did a 600 million year old glaciation lead to the pre-Cambrian explosion of soft-shelled complex life of the upper Ediacaran, and only on Earth did an asteroid hitting Mexico's coast clear out the large reptiles in order for the larger brained mammals to take over. \n\nIn short, a very specific sequence of events permitted us. It is almost certain that the exact parallel events have not happened anywhere else.\n\nThat is not to say that there are not Earth-like worlds out there. The Hubble telescope has a new refraction technique that has allowed it to find rocky worlds in other solar systems, and it recently found a world that is somewhat similar to the Earth (but five times larger.)\n\nBut they would not be Earth.\n\nThere is one quantum mechanical derived theory that posits a new universe breaks off with each possible choice we make.  This was the premise of a sci-fi show, "Sliders", at one point. If such universes do exist in a multi-verse, we have no way to detect them or know they are there, unfortunately.
110220
It will be from way out on a plane based on our orbital track. I think the intensity of the sun will block out the view of whether or not it goes behind or in front of the sun. The center of the universe, even though it is a non-existent place, for arguments sake, would be moving as everything in the universe is dynamic. (There is no end to infinite, therefore the center cannot be defined.)
73137
There is disagreement over whether the universe is indeed finite or infinite in spatial extent and volume.\n\nHowever, the observable universe, consisting of all locations that could have affected us since the Big Bang given the finite speed of light, is certainly finite. The edge of the cosmic light horizon is 13.7 billion light years (4.19 Gpc) distant. The present distance (comoving distance) to the edge of the observable universe is larger, due to the ever increasing rate at which the universe has been expanding; it is estimated to be about 78 billion light years (7.8 × 1010 light years, or 7.4 × 1026 m). This would make the comoving volume, of the known universe, equal to 1.9 × 1033 cubic light years (assuming this region is perfectly spherical). The observable universe contains about 7 × 1022 stars, organized in about 100 billion galaxies, which themselves form clusters and superclusters. The number of galaxies may be even larger, based on the Hubble Deep Field observed with the Hubble Space Telescope. The Hubble Space Telescope discovered galaxies such as Abell 1835 IR1916, which are over 13 billion light years from Earth.\n\nBoth popular and professional research articles in cosmology often use the term "universe" when they really mean "observable universe". This is because unobservable physical phenomena are scientifically irrelevant; that is, they cannot affect any events that we can perceive. See also Causality (physics).
147858
well let us take a "logical" look....the big bang says that there was nothing, then something, and now everything is expanding away.  So how did things get farther away than time has permitted?  Hmmm...kind of a hole in the theory.
114017
The universe is said to be expanding,at least in the sense\nthat all of the galaxies are supposed to be drifting farther\naway from each other.That would seem to contradict your notion of a tremendously big circle as there's no gravitational pull binding them together.\n Also,if space is finite...then what's outside the boundaries?
303300
Just one doubt about your  theory,how do you know that only one big bang has taken place as you say that a second one is coming up???And tell me how you would accelerate something to the speed of light as the mass would become infinite.\nAnd according to your theory the total energy in the universe will go on increasing.You are stuck in a viscious circle!!!
347459
We can see the cosmic background radiation. Contrary to what many would say this is not the big bang itself, but the moment the first atoms formed (when protons bonded with electrons) and photons of light could freely travel through space. This happend about 300,000 years AFTER the big bang. The universe was about the size of the Milky Way Galaxy at that time.\n\nWe cannot see before this moment in time. Before this, information in the form of photons could not propagate. The actual moment of the big bang will forever be beyond reach.
584779
Which is the end of expanding universe? If any end exists, what will be behind this end?\n\nBefore we can address that question, we must first define universe.  \n\nThe word universe denotes all space and everything (matter, energy) contained within it.  The prefix uni means one.  The root verse means word, carnate message, meaningful substance, matter.  Questions regarding our universe persist today.  Does it have a beginning and end, or does it go on forever and ever?  Is it linear or curved?  If it has limits of length or curvature, then what lies beyond the Universe?  If something lies beyond the Universe, then can’t we accurately call that the Universe?\n\nSome lay people and some scientists conceive of the universe as infinite space.  Others define the universe as finite, or limited (perhaps curved), space.  Still others incorporate the elements of matter and/or energy into their definition of the universe, as opposed to the space beyond matter and energy.\n\nGiven these concepts of our universe, some scientists conclude that the “totality of space could be infinite. Shrink an infinite space by an arbitrary amount, and it is still infinite. (Scientific American March 2005).”  \n\nAs to the notion that we live in an ever expanding universe, moving away from every other universe on the fabric of space-time, some scientists are careful to point out that “\n\nAndromeda, our nearest large galactic neighbor, is actually moving toward us, not away. Such exceptions arise because Hubble's law describes only the average behavior of galaxies (Scientific American March 2005).”\n\nIn accordance with your supposition that our universe is in another universe, “it has been hypothesized by some scientists that the universe may be part of a system of many other universes, known as the multiverse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universe).” Modern astrophysicists talk about multiple "pocket" universes that branch off from one another.  Stephen Hawking points out that parallel pocket universes can have no effect on a real observer inside a single pocket, so, according to Hawking, they are theoretical baggage that should be eliminated from cosmology, the study of the origins of the universe.\n\nSome string theories define the universe as a three-dimensional space in an invisible space having more dimensions. This is, in essence, a universe within a universe.  Our zone, a “braneworld” could periodically bounce into another parallel braneworld.  \n\nThis may create what would appear as a Big Bang from one perspective or a Big Bounce of alternating expanding and contracting universe from another perspective.  Such a cataclysmic event is thought to occur 300 billion years from now, resulting in the rearranging and creation of a new universe.\n\nWhich is the end of expanding universe? That may be determined in 300 billion years, when it stops expanding (like a balloon).  If any end exists, what will be behind this end?  A multiverse void containing other expanding and contracting balloons, referred to as universes, may exist beyond our own.\n\nSteve\n:-D
282388
The universe cannot have an end, it has to be infinite and completely symetrical. This leads to three possible scenarios for its shape a saddle shape, a spheroid, and a flat plane. Different experiments have led scientists to believe that space is an infintie flat plane. The main reason why we know that if there were edges to space then we would have to me moving towards some objects and away from others. This is not the case as all observed entities are moving away from us. This leads to the assumption of a infinite expanding universe. \n\nAs far as our perception is concerned we are not inside of anything since the universe occupies all of the space that we can observe so the universe is everything. But if somehow you could step out of our universe into a higher dimension you dont know what you would see. There are some theorists who believe our universe is one of many universe. But since there is no way to see out of the universe we may never be able to answer this question. I agree that if you start thinking in this manner it can get quite perplexing\n\nTo the person who said space must have an edge to expand think of a baloon. If we go down a dimension imagine that our galaxy is a penny glued on the surface of a baloon. To us the baloon has no edges at all since we cannot see out into the third dimension, yet the baloon is expanding. So from our vantage point we live on an infinite surface that is expanding and causing nearby pennies to all travel away from us.
173712
There is no answer to this question within the context of which it is asked.  The theory that the universe is finite but boundaryless is groundless at best having been built from many accepted, yet untried, pre-existing theories of the universe.  \n\nThis theory should be more approprately viewed as the culmination of everything we do not know about the universe, and is tied entirely to a singular perspective. Yet it is accepted as fact by many within the scientific community and elsewhere.\n\nBased on our current technological capabilities and observations of the universe we have no business asking science this type of question.  In turn it is irresponsible of science to supply any type of response with conviction and confidence.  \n\nTheories such as this one are no different than the assertions of any religion;  they require an enormous amount of faith to be accepted.\n\nBottom line:  your guess is just as good as anyone's.
613729
The Universe cannot be infinite, because it is expanding, which points to its origin where everything began at the same point, namely the singularity of the Big Bang. Therefore, if it is expanding, it is bounded.\n\nHowever, it is thought that it probably doesn't have an edge, much like the Earth doesn't have an edge. If you started in a spaceship and went in a straight line, you would eventually end up where you started, much like if you started at the North Pole and went in a straight line, you would end up back the North Pole.\n\nThe reason: although you would be going in a straight line on the 2-D surface of the Earth, that line is curved in the 3rd dimension. So, if spacetime is curved in the 4th dimension, you could be going in a straight line 3 dimensionally, but it would be curved 4th dimensionally.