What do you think is beyond the universe?
358689
a bunch of non-universe aliens waiting for us to be smart enough to reach them . i think they will bore to death
477542
Dear episodes1979,\n\nI am neither fanatical nor ignorant, and, in fact, have done quite a bit of research on what we humans like to call "supernatural" or "miraculous".\nBased on what I know, I can make the certain conclusion that the universe is not merely limited to the existence of human beings.  We are important, but we are such a minute part of the creative force or energy that seems to surround us at all times.  The greatest of scientists and philosophers will tell you that there are far greater things, worlds, ideas, and concepts at work in our world than we can ever imagine.  Certainly, if there was such enormous energy that this whole galaxy evolved, why should it be limited just to animals, plants, and humans?  The main conclusion one can come to is that, yes, there are those beings, spiritual or physical or both, that are among us in different ways and realities.  And yet there are some completely natural phenomena that early uneducated man propagated as something supernatural and now we wonder what it may be.  Ultimately, everything can be explained scientifically or mathematically, even "ghosts" or "aliens". (As a matter of fact, we have come to call them "aliens", but all that it is is just other diverse life forms, some look like us, who have evolved in other galaxies, universes, etc.)  \nIt is not a fact of whether we believe or don't believe, but rather a fact of how open minded and adventurous we remain.  When we are born, nature provides us with a great openness of heart and mind and a great adventurousness for us to develop even more of it.  How sad it is that some would rather stick to the boring, simple concepts of Life as illustrated by the fact that we reason away our natural desire to be open and inquisitive.  I hope that people who read this will get encouraged on their search for truth.  Or for those who prefer otherwise, it is your choice after all and nobody should judge you for it, I hope you will one day truly investigate at least one of those things that seem to be "taboo" in our society to support (other life forms, us as spiritual beings existing in physical bodies, other mystical creatures).  After all, no matter what the truth is, the ultimate truth about our universe will always be there, and you will only get smarter and wiser if you dare to ask the hard questions and heartfully search for answers.
1076114
Odds are that the universe IS teeming with life.  We haven't been to the universe -- it's very big and most of it is too far away.
514889
Outer space extends to the end of the universe. Further, the universe is constantly expanding. No-one knows if anything is beyond the end of the universe.
460814
Outer space must go out forever, else there would be an end to it.  If there were an end to it, what would be on the other side of the end?\n\nI can live forever, and I'm not interested in the "outer limits."  Plenty of interesting things all around.
159281
Take into consideration the billions of stars in this galaxy. Then take into consideration the billions of galaxies in the local cluster. Then take into consideration the billions of clusters in the local supercluster. Then take into consideration the billions of superclusters in the local segment of the wall. Then take into consideration the billions of segments in the Great Wall. Then take into consideration the billions of walls in the Universe. It's even possible there's more than one universe! \n\nWhat do you believe? I think there is life out there. But are they sentient and advanced? Maybe. Maybe not.
664661
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.
533024
Is our universe in another universe?\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 “\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.  This 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\nIs our universe inside another universe?  Well, apparently the Men in Black had it right.  Our universe seems to be inside of something else, another universe, called the multiverse.\n\nSteve\n:-D
612456
My Astronomy teacher at college of the redwoods believes it not to be the like a big ball though, it may be in some way like that.  He believes it is more like a blob of water in zero gravity.  It isnt a circle but it has i would say lumps in the ball type figure.  All of this but on a much larger scale.\n\nBy the way the universe is not infinite but it is expanding.  It may be huge but we believe to have found areas that just return no data.  It is about 560 billion light years away from us.  It is illogical to even believe anything physical to be infinate.
314231
The boundry of the universe lies at the outer limit of expansion of the space-time continuum.  It's a popular misconception that the universe is expanding into space.  The truth is that space-time itself is expanding, carrying all the matter and energy in our universe along with it. I should also mention that the 4th dimension, mentioned in other answers is, in fact, time. It is already included in the whole time-space continuum. As for what lies "outside" the universe, the question is in one respect meaningless.  Since it is space and time that is expanding, there is no "outside" in any meaningful sense of the word.  All the space that exists does so within the bounds of our universe.  I know what you are trying to say is"What is our universe expanding into?" but again, that question cannot be answered meaningfully.  We can't even set up mathematical models that are more than speculation because the laws of physics as we understand them are applicable only within the framework of the T.S.Continuum they exist in. Some have speculated that there may be other universes that lie "outside" our own, and there is a body of mathematical models to support this idea, but the plain truth is, no one knows for sure. If such universes exist, they will probably function under differing "laws" than our own, and will be difficult, if not impossible to comprehend. As for what lies "between" universes-as it is "something"(for lack of a better term) that falls completely outside of any human experience or frame of reference, there are no words to describe "it."  You may as well call it the Tao- that's about as close to describing it as we will ever likely get.
214423
The universe has no end, just as the surface of a sphere has no end. In terms of the surface you can't describe its end, only in terms of a higher dimensional geometry. In that sense, "beyond" is meaningless since it is a term to relate to the same dimension as the universe. It's like "beyond the end of the world" for the surface of Earth -  there is no end, and at some time you might return to where you started from.
5491
What you really mean to ask is, if the Universe is expanding, a phenomenon that by every conceivable standard of measurement and observation is universally (pun definitely intended) accepted by the scientific community to indeed be fact....\n\n...then what is the Universe exanding into????\n\nThe spooky thing is that no one knows. Science, with \nthe help of the Hubble Telescope has been able to see\nonly about 13 Billion light years out but the Universe itself is estimated to be about 14-15 Billion years old.\n\nThe universe is expanding into the vast emptiness of \nspace. Some scientists have speculated that there may be other universes that extend far beyond our own \nbut its mere speculation. NASA hopes that the next generation of Space Telescope technology scheduled to be launched in 2011, will have the capcity to observe  the very edge of the universe about 15 Billion years away and the very first light created in the aftermath of the Big Bang.
708483
Nothingness.\n\nOr maybe it's encroaching on another Universe?  Hmmmm......
23168
In an extention of the big bang theory, the size of the spots in the microwave background radiation can indicate the geometry of the universe. Recent (2001) measurements confirm that the universe is "flat" (for an explanation of shapes, see source link). There is a 2% margin of error in this measurement.\n\nAs for what is beyond space, I would say the question isn't possible to answer, as most people define "space" to mean "Everything there is". What is outside of "everything"? Nothing, it would seem.
15497
Probably find a ship graveyard.\n\nNo...for real...I don't think it is possible to reach the edge of the universe.\n\nPrint this out, then if it happens, you can say, "I told you so."  :)
168541
The short answer is: \n- - - - - - - - - - - \n\nYes I think it is fairly likely that there is life someplace outside our solar system. I have written a short historical survey, and then summarized some of the reasons behind my answer. They boil down to 2 points:\n\n1. The universe is a big place\n2. Life seems to be pretty common here on earth and start pretty easily. \n\nThe Long answer:\n- - - - - - - - - - - \n\nA. History\n- - - - - - - \n\nThis is a question that people have asked for a long time. The Greek philospher Epicurius (341–270 B.C) speculated that there were an infinite number of other planets like earth, with life on them, in the universe:\n\n“There are infinite worlds both like and unlike this world of ours...We must believe that in all worlds there are living creatures and planets and other things we see in this world.” Epicurius (c. 300 B.C)\n\nThe Dominican Monk and philospher Giodarno Bruno conjected in his 1584 work, "On the Infinite Universe and Worlds", that there were an infinite number of other worlds with intelligent life on them. He refused to recant this and other controversial beliefs, and was burned at the stake during the Inquisition for this. \n\nThe famous physicist Enrico Fermi formulated the Fermi Paradox (sometimes known as the Fermi Principle by skeptics), which states that if advanced intelligent life was widespread in the universe, we would have evidence of it already. Since we do not have good evidence, where are they? \n\nThis was later addressed by Frank Drake with his Drake equation (aka the Sagan equation or the Green Bank equation) for trying to estimate the probability of using coming in contact with an advanced extraterrestrial civilization. \n\nBoth a modification of the Drake Equation and the analyses associated with the Fermi Paradox can be used to try to estimate the likelihood of there being life beyond our solar system (the interested reader is directed to the references). Basically, depending on what is assumed for a number of parameters, it appears either quite likely that there is life outside the solar system, or quite unlikely. However, at least one has a better handle on what the quantitative factors are that go into estimating this probability by this kind of investigation. \n\n\nB. Reasoning Behind my Opinion\n- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -\n\n\nMy own opinion, after having read this material and some of the links contained, is that it is quite possible that life exists beyond our solar system, or even possibly does or has in other places in our solar system than earth. \n\nFirst, consider the very large number of stars even in our own galaxy (200-400 billion) and the large number of visible galaxies. This leads to about 7x10^22 stars in the visible universe (according to  Dr Simon Driver of ANU). This is more than 10 times the number of grains of sand on earth. This is 100 billion times more than the number of letters in the 14 million books in the Library of Congress. If this is coupled with the seeming presence of a large number of exoplanets around these stars (170 found as of the end of 2005, and we have barely started looking), then this translates into a HUGE number of planets. With this extremely large number of potential planets, there are bound to be some like earth. \n\nLife seems to thrive readily, since life started soon after the earth cooled and existing in environments that we can barely imagine, like miles underground, or near deep ocean vents, or under the Antarctic ice. It has been well known for years that there are amino acids, the building blocks of life on meteors in space. Scientists have also created amino acids in environments similar to deep space environments (see reference). The Miller-Urey experiments in the 1950s were also able to readily create amino acids in environments meant to duplicate a primordial earth environment (reference below). \n\nWith the evidence that there are probably many planets with eart
394306
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.