does anybody have any therories or ideas about what lies outside of our universe?
926011
don't lagph but i think that there parrell uniiverses out there one that just so happens to have our opposite on them.
473205
ahhhh the holy grail of questions... do extra-terrestrials exist.  Well, I would have to say yes.\n\nKeep in mind Earth is like a grain of sand on the beach. It would be extremely hard to find anything.  Here is a cool link to check out...\n\nwww.seti.org\n\nthere is actually an equation to figure out if there is life elsewhere. click 'center for study of life in the universe' then scroll down to where it says 'drake equation.'\n\nFun stuff!
73345
The last response made a good point.  Science only seeks to answer certain questions.  What exists "outside" the universe? What existed before the Big Bang?  These are questions that scientists currently are not seeking.  That question is left up to the philosophers for now.  \n\nThe questions really point to a better understand of the universe and whether that question is important, relevant or even consistent with our present knowledge of the universe.  \n\nAstronomers and physicists find the surface of an expanding balloon a good analogy for the nature of our universe.  The surface, just surface mind you, of that balloon has no center or edge to it.  Just like how we understand the universe.  The surface material of the balloon would be what we call space-time.  \n\nWhat is outside the surface of the balloon?  Well there is no balloon material outside so it is not space as we know it but one perspective says it is a future balloon surface.  Just like inside the balloon was once a past balloon surface.  \n\nThe universe could have a similar analogy.
347537
I have given an answer to this elsewhere, but I will repeat it here.\n\nAssuming that by the question you ask, you are essentially asking what is beyond the edge of our Universe, the answer to which will change depending on whether we live in a flat, open or closed Universe.\n\nOne way to try to understand it is to throw away a dimension, and imagine being a 2 dimensional being living on a sheet of paper. Sort of like a cartoon that you drew. To them, the Universe they occupy consists of only the paper itself. There is only up/down, left/right, there is no in and out of the paper for them, it may exist for us observing them, but they can't see us, and they are not aware of this extra dimension. Living on this sheet of paper, whilst flat on the desk there is quite obviously an edge beyond which to them, is nothingness...... hmmmm\n\nOk, so now imagine that they aren't living on a flat piece of paper but on the surface of a sphere (say of a baloon for example). The inside and outside of the sphere is a dimension inaccessible to them. Therefore, there are now NO edges to their universe. If they travelled upwards from their position (NOT leaving the sphere), then they would eventually come back to where they started. If you then started to inflate the baloon, it would expand, but to the "cartoon" people, all they will experience is seeing their surroundings expand. To them, their universe is expanding into another dimension, that they cannot see, and that it inaccessible to them.\n\nThis in a way, but with one dimension less, could be what is happening to our Universe. There may be no physical edge that we can ever come across, but it could be expanding into another dimension. \n\n\nOn the other hand, if you are asking if the Universe will, one day, simply cease to exist .... then that is a completely different answer!!!!\n\nThe Universe is expanding - into what, could be another dimension - and the amount of matter in the Universe will determine whether or not this expansion will stop and reverse, or whether it will carry on for eternity!  As it happens there is evidence to suggest that the expansion of the Universe is actually accelerating, and so the end of the Universe will be a very dismal cold place.  There will be no stars left giving out light, the heat of the Universe will be stretched out over infinity!  It will be the death of the Universe.\n\nIf there was enough matter in the Universe then the gravitational pull of all the matter could force the Universe to start to collapse back in on itself. Eventually it would all come together in one place in what would be called "The Big Crunch" - and this would be the end of the Universe as we know it.
1025562
My opinion through many meditative thoughts:\n\nI believe our universe exists as a point in what you call 'the void'. A point having the geometric meaning of no volume, dimensionless.\n\nI believe what you are considering the void is what I call space. Our universe is what we can view, touch and explain through science we have developed. Space on the other hand is an infinitely dimensional medium, in which our universe was born. \n\nOur universe is nothing more than a 'disturbance' in space, and in space our universe exists as a point. This point is a fraction of infinity, yet everything is a fraction of infinity. So in the humble realization that we are nothing (a fraction of infinity), we realize we are equal to everything we can fathom, as it too is a fraction of infinity no matter how large.\n\nSo, through the realization that we are nothing comes the discovery that we can be equal to as much as we can fathom. \n\nI believe this means everything that makes up the universe and space has its own existence or presence known to space and must exist.  This existence holds true for our universe and what we would consider other universes. The disappearance, or non-existance of any defined object and its position in space no matter how small, down to a point, would truly have mind boggling consequences. \n\nIf time travel is possible than there must be alternate universes, as we know it.  It is a deadening thought to ponder.  Almost pointless until we figure out gravity, which I believe will open the door to all other understandings.
1072373
i also think aliens exist. out of all solar systems all the planets all the galaxies in the universe we can or should never argue that we are alone.
21383
I once read a theory that the universe is so big, that there's a chance that not only is there another earth somewhere, but there's probably so many that there's bound to be one exactly like ours.  The universe is huge beyond our present ability to comprehend, and it would be highly ignorant to think that with all the building blocks of life floating around out there that life doesn't exist somewhere else.  Whether we ever find it or not is another question.
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.
805413
You might be interested in M-theory of the universe. It suggests that the universe, ie the big bang that we see is the result of two higher dimensional membranes touching each other. Other membranes may actually touch and produce other kinds of universes but with physics that might be unstable or unusual
654192
Being an avid science fiction fan and part-time speculative thinker (or something), I would like to believe that there IS life out there.  The universe is so vast, surely the possibility exists.\n\nOnly don't you think we would have had some contact by now? Oh, yeah, maybe we have...nobody really believes that weather balloon story, do they?  Maybe that's the secret...
385152
Statistically it is pretty much a cert that there is life elsewhere in the universe notwithstanding the calculations are based on huge assumptions.\n\nThe issue is more one of distance ... bit philisophical but if life exists elsewhere but we are unable to perceive it, does it exist?
986664
Well, its been theorised that what is beyond the universe is a fourth dimensional bowl. Basically our universe is a 3d soup encased in a four dimensional bowl. How was that made? I would think the same way that our universe was created. I mean, we have only just begun to comprehend the world around us, many of the theories that are coming out are exactly that theories because we really dont know. Untill we can explore more of our universe, we arent really going to know, and if its in a 4th dimension, we really wont know. But, what you could do, is look at some of the sources, and hopefully those will help.
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
335664
We have no idea, mainly because the visible universe is still expanding.  This is because light travels at a fixed speed and light from the far side of the universe has not yet caught up with us on this side. So the light we see from farthest away, the “other end”, was actually emitted billions of years ago by stars that are no longer where they appear to be to us.  That being said so far all we've seen just indicates more galaxies of the type found at this end. Most physicists today attribute this expanding movement to the “big bang” theory.  I’ll include an article you may find interesting in my sources.\n\nBest Regards,\n\nArmust
306121
I would like to say that there is intelligent life in the universe besides on Earth.  Humans have gone from believing that the Earth was at the centre of all existence and the Sun and all "heavenly bodies" revolved around it, because from our Point of View it seemed that way.  Then we discovered that no, the Earth actually goes around the Sun, and there were other planets...and other suns...and other planets around other suns!! And so on.  \n\nSo why wouldn't this 'decentralising' process extend to the existence of life?  I like to think it gives us an appreciation that life itself is a natural, universal process that, where the conditions are right, would happen throughout the universe.  "Intelligent" life is a bit curlier to argue.  If intelligent life was a natural process, why have we not had communication with aliens?  We could assume they are as curious as humans are to seek life elsewhere, and humans have been sending signals into space for decades.  I cannot answer this; even if it does exist numerous places in the universe, the vastness of space may be just too great.  \n\nThe idea of intelligent life elsewhere appeals to me as it knocks us humans off our high horse, and our presumptuous and arrogant viewpoint that we are privileged with our intelligence (and yes, humans are intelligent, although one wonders sometimes).
1158544
This "nothing" is what we perceive without the laws of physics. Our universe is limited by the knowledge we have about it. Recent theories (the "M" theory) suggest that endless universes exist, and sometimes they even collide one into other. Probably, out there, beyond the boundaries of 12 billions light years, others dimensions, other plan of existence exist.
18870
i guess u are asking about extra terrestials.\ni donot belive they exist.